When the White Rose Opens
by Changeling22
Summary: The sophisticated heiress and the naive young girl. A fairy tale romance, destined for a happy ending? Or will outside forces tear them apart? If it's up to them, not likely. White Rose, with other pairings peppering the story as I choose.
1. Chapter 1

Alrighty, here's something different for you all: actual romance-y stuff! I'm taking a break from my other stories because let's be honest here, there are only so many ways you can write pornography. So, some White Rose RWBY fanfiction!

A couple of things: First, this is following an alternate timeline going from Volume 2. Basically, Cinder and her cohorts and by extension Salem are not present. So, after dealing with Torchwick in the early part of that volume (Assume he's just a giant dick and was going to do a form of Cinder's plan to take down Beacon) everyone basically does what would have happened if all that crap didn't ruin everything. (No, I'm not sore about the ending of Volume 3, why do you ask?)

Second, this is a romantic fanfiction. Don't expect my usual stuff in here. And if that displeases you, find something else to read. I'm not discounting it in the future, but with what I have in my head right now, don't expect it any time soon.

Now, on to the story!

* * *

Chapter One:

Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, never thought she would have time for silly things like falling in love. How could she? Between training to be the best Huntress she could be and restoring her family name, love was one of the things she thought she'd never have the luxury of. Companionship, maybe. An arranged marriage, not perfect but it would make sense. But falling in love? Head over heels, butterflies in her stomach, heart pounding, stars in her eyes love? Weiss couldn't ever fathom doing something so…so _silly._

Then Weiss had met _her._

Ruby Rose. Just thinking her name sent her heart aflutter and a blush creeping into her pale skin. Weiss was currently sitting in one of Professor Port's lecture…story things with the rest of the first year Huntsmen and Huntresses. Including Ruby. Ruby was sitting next to Weiss, head bobbing to something only she could hear. Weiss smiled in spite of herself, before quickly fixing a scowl on her face and focusing on the lecture.

But she couldn't. Weiss couldn't focus on anything right now but the girl sitting next to her. As carefully and as casually as she could, Weiss snuck a look at Ruby. The red hair that looked black, except right at the very tips. Those sparkling silver eyes that were always alight with a smile, even when her lips weren't. Her creamy skin, with very few scars, which was surprising, considering her choice in weapon.

Weiss shook herself again and forced herself to focus and not daydream. Certainly not daydream about laying on a hill in the sun with Ruby laying her head on her chest, Weiss idly stroking her cheek. Certainly not about their hands being entwined as their breath mingled before…

 _Come on, Weiss,_ Weiss thought to herself as she snapped back to reality. _You can't keep thinking about this!_ But she did. No matter how many times Weiss snapped herself out of it, her mind kept showing her the young girl in the red hood. Always smiling, always happy. Never staying dejected or defeated for very long. So strong, so beautiful.

Finally, the bell rang, and Weiss got out of there as fast as possible. She needed to get as far away from Ruby as she could. Before anyone could stop her, Weiss had dropped her books off at the room and rushed outside. And then, she walked. Weiss walked and walked and thought. Weiss tried to think about her upcoming birthday, which was tomorrow and which no one knew about. Weiss was used to having lavish parties thrown in her honour for her birthday. But that had been in Atlas, where her father would insist on it, despite her not really wanting them. But as much as she pretended to enjoy them, the fact was the parties were never for her. Not really. So, she kept it a secret, so people didn't have to pretend to care.

Weiss looked up from her reverie and found that she was standing in the middle of the main courtyard. Weiss smiled to herself. This was where she first met Ruby. Weiss remembered it clearly: she had just arrived from Atlas and was having her stuff brought in, and almost out of nowhere this _dolt_ of a person just fell into her things. Of all the nerve! Weiss shook her head as she remembered how badly she had treated Ruby those first few days. She had been so bratty. But despite Weiss's bad attitude, Ruby had persevered.

" _You're about to see a whole different side of me today, Weiss, and after it's all over, you're going to be like, "Wow! That Ruby girl is really, really cool...and I wanna be her friend!"_

And that was that. Ruby kept at it, and eventually wormed her way through the chinks in Weiss's armour and made it clear that she didn't care. Ruby didn't care Weiss was a Schnee, that she was rich or anything else really. Though they'd gotten off to a very rocky start, all Ruby saw was someone she could be friends with.

But it wasn't until the start of their second semester that Weiss realised her feelings for Ruby had jumped down the proverbial hole and weren't that of a friend.

" _Weiss? Weiss! Don't leave me! NOOOOOOOO!"_

It had been a silly way to spend their time, that food fight. Fun, but silly. Not the sort of thing people would associate with a Schnee. But when Weiss was knocked into that pillar, even though she was just feigning unconsciousness, Ruby had been concerned. Though it was very over dramatic, Weiss felt warm in her heart that Ruby seemed to care so much. And that was the first time Weiss daydreamed of them on a hill in the sun.

Weiss had tried to ignore it. But she couldn't. It had taken her a while to admit it to herself, but once she had, everything became both clear and muddled at the same time.

She, Weiss Schnee, was in love with Ruby Rose. It was like puzzle pieces locked into place and Weiss could see the two of them together. But now, it was an effort to keep it secret from everyone. Weiss wanted to tell Ruby how she felt, she really did, but it could cause so many problems. It could affect the team, it could destroy their friendship. Hell, if Yang thought Weiss was going to break her sister's heart, Weiss would probably have to be on the next transport back to Atlas just to slow her down.

But keeping it secret wasn't helping either. Weiss could hardly be in the same room as Ruby now, not for any length of time before her heart began to ache. Before Weiss's hand almost unconsciously reached out for hers. Before the words "I love you" left her lips and ruined everything.

Thankfully, at that point, her scroll began to buzz, shaking Weiss out of her thoughts. Weiss answered it. "Hello?"

" _Hello Weiss_ _._ _"_

"Winter!" Weiss was immediately cheered up hearing her beloved older sister's voice. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you."

" _Silly girl,"_ Winter said coldly, before her voice softened, _"Did you think I was going to miss saying happy birthday to my little sister?"_

"Oh, thank you," Weiss said, surprised. "I thought you'd be busy with your work."

" _Never let work get in the way of what's important, Weiss. What are your plans for tomorrow? And don't say nothing, because that is unacceptable."_

"I," Weiss hesitated, "I didn't have anything planned. I didn't want my team to feel pressured into living up to Schnee expectations."

 _"Meaning you didn't want them to try and fail to throw a huge party. There is more to life than lavish parties, Weiss."_

"I know that!" Weiss snapped. "But…"

" _But what?"_ Winter's voice was cold and inflexible. Weiss realised that she'd stepped over a line.

"I'm sorry," Weiss apologised, "I've had some things on my mind. Well, someone."

" _Oh? Does my sister have a crush on some Vale boy?"_

"It's not a boy," Weiss admitted, "And it's not a crush!" Weiss blushed at the thought. Crushes were for kids or young teenagers. That wasn't what she was feeling. At least, she was sure it wasn't. "Her name is Ruby."

" _Ruby Rose? Your team leader? That's…surprising. Your letters never gave me the impression you were nursing a pining heart."_

"It's…a fairly recent revelation."

" _Ah, I see. Well, I…"_ Winter's voice seemed to go distant as she exchanged short words with someone. _"I have to go. I'm sorry I couldn't talk longer. Have a happy birthday, Weiss."_

Before Weiss could say goodbye, Winter hung up, leaving Weiss staring at her scroll. Winter was always busy. Ever since she joined the military, Winter had less and less time to spend with her. Now Weiss was at Beacon, that time was even more strained. The one person Weiss could count on, and now she could barely speak to her.

Tears leaked out of her eyes. Weiss knew loneliness well: it comes from a difficult childhood. It was like a cold blanket wrapped over her, a clutching hand over her heart.

" _Mirror, mirror,"_ Weiss sang as tears leaked out of her eyes and dripped to the ground. _"Tell me something. Tell me who's the loneliest of all? I'm the loneliest of all."_ Alone in the courtyard under the fading light of the sun, Weiss Schnee cried her silent tears of loneliness.

"Hey," Ruby said as she, Blake and Yang walked back to their room, "Have you noticed Weiss has been acting weird lately?"

"What do you mean?" Blake asked, curious.

"I'm not sure," Ruby admitted, "But she's been really distant lately. She's always running off and not coming back to the room until late. I thought someone might be bullying her first, or blackmailing her or something, but she just seems really distracted." Once Ruby had really noticed what was happening with Weiss, she'd immediately gone to Jaune and asked if he'd heard of Cardin or someone picking on Weiss. Thankfully, Ruby and Jaune couldn't find anything, but that didn't stop Ruby worrying something had happened.

"You're worrying too much, Ruby," Yang said, flicking her long blonde hair back over her shoulder. "Weiss is probably just busy with Weiss stuff. She'll be back to normal in a couple of days, you'll see."

"Yeah, maybe," Ruby said quietly, "I'm still worried though."

Ruby wasn't great with people. That much was obvious to anyone who knew her. She'd gotten better since she came to Beacon, and she had lots of friends now. But Weiss was the one friend she'd worked hard for. Weiss had been standoffish, rude and egocentric when they'd first met, and while Ruby would be the first to admit she'd made some mistakes in trying to make a first, second and third impression, Weiss wasn't the easiest nut to crack. Especially with her early mistakes in being a leader.

But there had been a moment, after Ruby had learned what being a leader really meant, that she felt that they had connected. Over homework, a cup of coffee, and a shared childhood wish.

" _Ruby? I always wanted bunkbeds as a kid."_

Something was bugging Weiss, that much Ruby knew. But what she didn't know was how to help her through whatever was bugging her if Weiss kept avoiding her. It was a hopeless situation. At least when Blake was working herself ragged trying to hunt down Roman Torchwick, they had an idea on how to help.

It was stupid, Ruby had decided. How could she be a good leader and friend if the one person she tried so hard for wouldn't open up to her? It just felt so hopeless.

Once they got to the room, Ruby deftly climbed onto her bed and lay down, thinking. There was some idle chatter as they sat, and Ruby watched the sun set out of their window. Weiss still wasn't back yet, and Ruby was thinking about going to look for her when her scroll started to buzz.

"Hello?" Ruby answered, frowning. No one really called her: everyone she knew was at Beacon.

" _Yes, is this Ruby Rose?"_ The voice on the other end sounded kind of like Weiss, but older and, if possible, more dignified.

"Uh, yeah," Ruby said, confused, "Who is this?"

" _My name is Winter Schnee. I'm Weiss' older sister. If you had a moment, I'd like to discuss something with you."_

After a few minutes of conversation that Yang and Blake stared confusedly at Ruby, Winter hung up and Ruby stared at her scroll. That was not a conversation Ruby thought she'd ever have.

"What was that about?" Blake asked.

"Uh, that was Weiss' sister," Ruby said slowly, "asking me to throw Weiss a birthday party for tomorrow night."

"Wait, it's Weiss' birthday tomorrow?" Yang asked. "Why didn't she say anything?"

"I don't know," Ruby said, jumping down and becoming excited. "But this must be what's been bugging Weiss so much. So I am going to throw the best birthday party ever!"

After a second of Ruby's dramatic posing, Yang and Blake looked at each other, then back to Ruby.

"Uh, Ruby," Blake said carefully, "Do you know _how_ to throw a birthday party?" Yang turned to look at Blake, before conceding she may have a point. Ruby wasn't the best in terms of domestic planning. Stick her on a battlefield, Ruby would have five plans ready in a matter of moments. Stick her in the regular world, she fell apart.

Ruby was deflated for a second, but she soon brightened up again. "We!" she said, correcting her statement. "We are going to throw the best birthday party ever!"

"We don't have a lot of time," Yang said, already on board. "How do you expect to throw the sort of party Weiss would expect in…the next 24 hours? I don't think we have enough money between us to afford a Schnee party."

"I said 'best'," Ruby said, raising a finger for emphasis, "Not biggest. Just us and JNPR, some party games and food and lots of decorations," Ruby waved her arms to emphasise this, "It's going to be amazing! Weiss will love it, you'll see."

Blake and Yang exchanged concerned looks. Weiss was probably not the sort of person to appreciate a small party. But Ruby's enthusiasm was always infectious. It was going to be a lot of work, but it would be worth it. Ruby rushed off to start preparing, leaving Blake and Yang behind.

"Ruby seems extra excited about this," Blake noted, looking at Yang. Yang looked sad, or contemplative.

"Ruby didn't really have many birthday parties growing up," Yang said, "She didn't start making any friends until she started going to Signal and by then…" Yang trailed off, lost in thought. Yang was remembering the three of them: Ruby, herself and their dad Taiyang surrounding a small birthday cake with a few burning candles. Ruby was smiling as they sang Happy Birthday, but there was a sadness behind the smile. A longing for something she couldn't have. It had been only been a year since Summer Rose, Ruby's mother, had disappeared. Ruby was still missing her. They all were, but their dad insisted on giving Ruby a birthday party. Yang shook the memory out of her head. It didn't do to dwell on how things were back then.

"Well," Blake said, "We're going to have to throw the best birthday party ever then, aren't we?" Yang smiled a dangerous smile, and they started drawing up plans. Ruby may be the impetus, but Yang was the one who knew how to throw a good time.

When Weiss returned to the room, everyone was asleep. Except Ruby, dressed in her pyjamas, hunched over the desk, fiddling with something.

"What are you doing up, Ruby?" Weiss said, and Ruby yelped and jumped about three feet in the air.

"Weiss!" Ruby said once she got back on the ground and held her hands behind her back. "Where have you been? It's been hours."

"I…" Weiss hesitated, "I needed to clear my head. Professor Port's lectures go on a bit too long. What are you hiding back there?" Weiss tried to look behind Ruby, but Ruby moved, blocking her. This went on for a few seconds, before Ruby just stepped around Weiss with her Semblance.

"It's nothing," Ruby said quickly, "Just a…thing I'm working on." Using her Semblance, Ruby left the room before Weiss could stop her. Weiss was left looking at the rose petals that were left in her wake. Weiss caught one before it vanished, holding it in her fingers. It was soft, warm and perfect. The petal faded away and after a second, Ruby was back. "Weiss, are you okay? You've been acting really weird lately."

"I'm fine," Weiss said, looking into those silver eyes. They really were beautiful, like pools of water in the sunlight, "I just have some stuff on my mind."

"Weiss," Ruby said, reaching out and touching Weiss on the arm, sending an electric charge through Weiss' body. "I won't force you to, but you can talk to me, you know that right?"

Weiss didn't answer straight away. She was lost in those eyes, her body trembling under her touch. "I know," she said eventually. "Thank you, Ruby." Ruby smiled, and Weiss gave a small smile in response. Weiss excused herself to go and get changed for bed. When she was back, the lights were out and Ruby was already asleep, the covers askew. Weiss wanted to reach up and brush the hair out of her face, maybe kiss her forehead gently, but she settled for pulling the covers up a bit more.

"Goodnight, Ruby," Weiss said, before climbing into bed, falling asleep to the sound of Ruby's breathing. Love was so complicated.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Weiss woke up slowly and stretched as she sat up. Looking around, Weiss saw that everyone else was up and gone. It was a bright, sunny day, and Weiss almost forgot it was the weekend.

And it was her birthday. Weiss sighed as she got out of bed and got changed. She'd have to find something to do to fill her time today. Out of habit, Weiss checked her scroll. No messages, no missed calls, nothing. Weiss sighed again, pocketing her scroll and going to leave.

Before she could, she noticed an envelope taped to the door. Addressed to her. In Ruby's handwriting. Weiss reached out with a slightly trembling hand and fumbled with the envelope. Inside was a note:

 _Weiss,_

 _Once you've had breakfast, meet me at the transports into Vale. We're hanging out today. No excuses. See you soon,_

 _Ruby :)_

Weiss stared at the note for a few seconds, gripped by fear and excitement in equal measure. Did Ruby want to spend the day with her? Why? Ruby couldn't possibly know it was her birthday, could she? No, there must be some other reason. Short of breaking into school records, there was no way Ruby could know. A small part of Weiss's brain offered an alternative explanation. Ruby wanted to take Weiss on a date. Weiss immediately discarded that as absurd, but it was still in the back of her mind.

Weiss started weighing her options. On the one hand, if she didn't turn up, Ruby would be hurt. But they'd be together in Vale. Alone. Weiss wasn't sure she could handle that. She could barely be in the same room as Ruby when the others were around. One on one time in Vale might be more than she could handle.

Maybe breakfast would settle her nerves. Weiss went into the breakfast hall and got some food. Quickly, Weiss scanned the room and couldn't see Ruby, Blake or Yang. In fact, the only person Weiss could see was Nora, who had caught sight of her and was waving her over. Not seeing anyone else, Weiss went over. Nora Valkyrie was the most energetic person Weiss had ever met. They hadn't really interacted much, beyond Nora throwing a pie in her face and starting the massive food fight that had kicked off the semester. But she seemed a decent sort of person. Just very, very exuberant.

"Morning!" Nora said brightly as Weiss sat down. Weiss returned the sentiment, then started eating. Weiss felt a little sick, but she was still able to keep her food down. Nora looked at her quizzically. Weiss just focused on breakfast. Her mind was still wrestling with what to do today.

"Something got you down, Weiss?" Nora asked. Weiss shook her head, trying to swallow her breakfast, but Nora wasn't having it. Nora leant in close, frowning, and Weiss recoiled and almost fell backwards.

"Nora," Weiss said after finishing her food, "what are you doing?" Nora kept looking at Weiss, really examining her face and making Weiss very uncomfortable. After a second, Nora sat back and folded her arms.

"You're in love," Nora said simply, and Weiss stared at her.

"What?" How had she worked it out just from a few seconds of staring?

"You're in love," Nora said, "It's written all over your face. You're over the moon for someone."

Weiss did a quick look around and didn't see anyone else. "Is it that obvious?" she asked in a whisper. Nora smiled.

"Kinda, yeah," Nora said. "So, who is it? I know it's not Jaune." Everyone knew about Jaune's crush on Weiss, and it's less than warm reception. No one blamed Weiss for not returning his affections. A good guy Jaune may be, but he needed to learn to take no for an answer when it came to women.

"No," Weiss said, looking down, "No it's not." Weiss wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Nora. Nora had a motor mouth. Even if she wanted to keep it secret, she may not be able to help herself.

"So, who?" Nora asked again. "Don't keep me in suspense, Ice Queen."

Weiss glared at Nora for using that nickname. Nora's smile faltered a little, but the question hung in the air. Weiss looked around again, making sure no one was around. Weiss muttered under her breath. Nora stared at her. Weiss blushed profusely.

"I didn't quite get that," Nora said, leaning down to hear Weiss' whispers.

"Ruby," Weiss said, still blushing. It was like a weight was being lifted off of her shoulders. Telling Winter hadn't been a relief, just an explanation. "It's Ruby."

"Isn't she a little young for you?" Nora asked automatically in the voice she used when she was joking. Her brain caught up that was probably the wrong thing to say when Weiss gave her a death glare that could have blown a hole in the wall. "Sorry, bad joke."

"It's still true," Weiss said, and her doubts knocked down the wall she'd put them behind, "I'm two years older than her, we're on the same team and she's one of the few friends I have. I shouldn't be feeling this way! It's so…so _frustrating!_ " Weiss banged a fist on the table, making her plate jump.

"You think that if she doesn't feel the same way," Nora said quietly, so much so than Weiss thought Nora capable of being, "and if you tell her, it's going to ruin everything. So you keep it to yourself, but that just makes you feel sick inside. So now you're trying to deny your feelings, but that doesn't help either."

Weiss stared at Nora. "How do you know all that?"

"You're not the only one who loves someone they think they can't have," Nora said sadly. "Weiss, take it from someone who knows. Tell Ruby how you feel sooner rather than later."

"But what if-"

"If you wait too long, it'll get harder and harder to say and you never will," Nora said softly. "You'll come up with something silly to try and tell her how you feel. But if you tell her, then it's out there. And if I know Ruby, the worst that's going to happen is she wants to stay friends."

Weiss didn't know what to say to that, so she just nodded. Then the one question that had sat in the back of her head suddenly tumbled out of her mouth.

"What if she feels the same way?"

"Then you get the girl, doofus," Nora said, smacking Weiss in the back and nearly knocking her over the table. "Sorry," Nora apologised sheepishly, "I don't know my own strength."

"No, it's fine," Weiss said, out of breath from having the air driven out of her lungs. "I've got to get going. I'm supposed to meet Ruby soon." Weiss stood, but before she left, she gave Nora a smile. "Thanks, Nora."

"No problem," Nora said, resuming her normal, cheery air. "Just remember what I said." Weiss nodded and left. Nora waited for her to leave the hall before pulling out her scroll and quickly calling a number. "The Ice Queen has left the castle. I repeat, the Ice Queen has left the castle."

" _You didn't have to do the code thing, Nora."_ Yang said on the other end. _"We're already starting to set up. I need you to make sure Ruby and Weiss are out of Beacon before we start moving food and stuff around."_

"On it!" Nora said brightly. "Over and out." No need to tell Yang that Weiss had a thing for her sister. It wasn't for her to tell, anyway. Why even consider that? Nora shrugged, finished her pancakes and very sneakily followed Weiss. It was a good thing Ren was basically a ninja, otherwise Nora would have no clue how to be sneaky.

"Thank you!" Ruby said to the pilot of the Bullhead that she'd booked for her and Weiss. The plan for today was nearly perfect: Ruby would take Weiss out of Beacon so that Blake and Yang could set up the party with JNPR. Yang figured that it would take most of the day to set up and get everything together, so Ruby had to keep Weiss entertained or at least distracted for the next couple of hours.

Ruby wasn't sure Weiss would even turn up. Despite being partners and teammates, Weiss never wanted to spend too much time with her. Especially recently: Weiss would find whatever excuse she could and be gone after a few minutes with Ruby and the others. Ruby had given up on trying to find her after a couple of days of that, but she hadn't given up on figuring out what was bugging Weiss.

It was very aggravating, having a best friend that didn't seem to want to be your best friend. Blake was cool, but she was very…not best friend material. Yang was her sister, so they were pretty much closer than best friends anyway. With Weiss, on the other hand, it was like Ruby had to be her best friend. It made her happy when she could make Weiss smile, or when Weiss would hug her back. Now she thought about it, it was kind of weird to Ruby how much making Weiss happy meant to her. Ruby took out the little box she'd wrapped with a white ribbon. Weiss' birthday present. That she had worked on all night once Weiss had gone to sleep. Ruby had to fake being asleep, even when Weiss pulled the covers up over her. Ruby had almost responded when Weiss had said goodnight. Good thing Weiss was a heavy sleeper or she might have caught Ruby again.

"Ruby!" Ruby snapped out of her thoughts and quickly stashed the present out of sight as Weiss approached. She seemed happier than she had been the past few weeks. That was a good sign.

"Hey Weiss," Ruby said, smiling. "Good, you got my message."

"I did," Weiss said, a small smile on her face, "Though you could have made it a little more obvious. I almost missed it."

"Sorry, I was kinda in a rush," Ruby said, a little embarrassed. Ruby had to find the ribbon for the present. It had to be the perfect ribbon, the exact shade of white.

"Why?" Weiss asked, frowning a little. Ruby could have kicked herself. Secret keeping wasn't one of her strong suits.

"I…had to book the transport," Ruby said quickly. "You know how these pilots are. Don't book in early enough and they get cranky." Ruby laughed nervously, blushed and twisted her leg. Classic Ruby tells that she was keeping a secret. But she just looked so _adorable,_ that Weiss decided to drop it.

"So, what's the plan?" Weiss asked as she climbed into the transport. "Knowing you, it's something unbearably silly." Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Nope," Ruby said, as the transport lifted off of the ground, "You're the one who has been down in the dumps, so we are gonna do whatever you want. Whatever it takes to cheer you up."

Weiss blinked, and was about to respond before the transport hit a pocket of turbulence and knocked Ruby forward and off balance. Weiss immediately reached out and caught Ruby before she fell out of the now closing door. Weiss instinctively pulled Ruby close as they both looked at how far she could have fallen before the door closed.

"Wow," Ruby said, just a tiny bit terrified, "That was close." Ruby looked up at Weiss and realised that their faces were close to each other. Like, really, _really_ close. Close enough that they could kiss…

Wait, where the hell did _that_ thought come from? But now she'd thought it, more thoughts following that line tumbled around inside Ruby's head. Thoughts she'd never had before.

"Uh," Ruby managed to say after her thoughts organised. Weiss was still holding onto her, with a surprisingly strong grip. "Thanks for, you know, not letting me fall to my death."

"No problem," Weiss said very quietly. Their faces were still very close. Weiss was suddenly possessed with the urge to kiss Ruby and to hell with the consequences. But her better sense trumped her desire and Weiss finally helped Ruby stand up and let go. Both of them awkwardly sort of moved away from each other. Weiss didn't look Ruby in the face. Their faces had been so _close._ And Ruby hadn't pulled away from her. Did that mean Ruby felt the same as she did? Conflicted feelings ran amok inside her.

Ruby was lost in thought. She was still imagining kissing Weiss. Her hands entwined in Weiss' hair, Weiss' hand gently holding the back of her head, her other hand pressing on the small of Ruby's back. Ruby's foot popped like a princess in a fairy tale. It made Ruby's stomach do flips and her heart pound in her chest.

Ruby had never really thought about kissing anyone before. Boys weren't really on her mind. Yang was the one who had boyfriends, though they never lasted very long once they found out she was tougher than they were. Ruby was always too busy trying to become a Huntress, and when she was at Signal she was focused on building Crescent Rose and training with her uncle Qrow. But even after being moved to Beacon early, the only boys she interacted with on any regular basis were Jaune and Ren. Ruby never thought she'd be interested romantically in anyone.

But now she was seeing her and Weiss. Together, as a couple. Romance wasn't something Ruby was skilled at. Hell, just knowing when to laugh and when to look sad was still a little bit of a challenge. But just now, she and Weiss had had a romantic moment. Ruby was sure of it. Was that why Weiss was avoiding her? Was Weiss feeling the same things she was? What was she even feeling?

 _Love._ A little voice in the back of Ruby's mind said. _What you're feeling is love._ Love? Was she in love with Weiss?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"This was a splendid idea, Yang," Pyrrha said as she helped Jaune hang balloons. "I'm sure Weiss will love it." They had borrowed Professor Port's lecture hall for the party. It had already been decorated with streamers and stuff like that, so Jaune and Pyrrha were blowing and hanging balloons. Some presents were already wrapped and piled on a table nearby.

"I sure hope so," Yang said as she dipped a brush into paint and bringing it to the HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEISS banner she was working on. "And this is all Ruby's idea. We just have to make it happen while she keeps Weiss occupied."

"Has anyone else noticed Weiss acting weird lately?" Jaune asked as he tied off another balloon.

"Ruby said the same thing yesterday," Yang said, "What do you think's bugging her?"

"I don't know," Jaune admitted, "But Ruby's been worried. I had to go talk to Cardin to see if someone was harassing her. That was not fun."

"At any rate," Pyrrha said, tying off a balloon and handing it to Jaune, "I think a small party will be the best thing for Weiss. And a day with Ruby could be just what the doctor ordered."

"Hopefully they get along," Yang said, as Nora, Ren and Blake came in to the room, arms full of food, drinks and assorted paper plates and plastic cups.

"Hopefully who gets along?" Ren asked as they started setting things up.

"Ruby and Weiss," Yang said as she finished the last S in Weiss. Now all she had to do was wait for it to dry, and then it could be hung up.

"Oh," Nora said as she piled food onto a nearby table, "they'll be getting along." Nora stopped and realised that saying that was probably a bad idea.

"What makes you say that, Nora?" Ren asked. Oh, she hated when he said her name that way. It made Nora feel all topsy turvy.

"Nothing, Ren," Nora said, "I didn't mean anything." No one seemed to believe her, so Nora quickly changed the subject. "So, who's bringing the cake? I can get a cake. Or two, I love cake!"

"Nora," Ren said slowly, "You're being strange. What's going on?"

"Uh…" Nora said, looking nervous, "Nothing, really. Seriously, where's the cake?"

Everyone was just looking at Nora now. Nora was visibly sweating, and decided to take a leave of absence and disappeared from the room. Everyone looked at the door as it gently swung closed.

"What do you think THAT was about?" Yang asked aloud. No one had an answer for her. So, Yang decided to go after Nora. It didn't take long to track her down: Nora was gently jogging down the hall. And by gently jogging, it meant still running after her at full speed.

"Nora, hang on a sec," Yang said, catching up fairly quickly. "What was all that about?"

"I can't tell you," Nora said, uncharacteristically non-talkative, "Weiss wouldn't want me to."

"Wait, Weiss told you what's bugging her?" Yang asked. Nora clapped her hands in front of her mouth. "What is it? Ruby needs to know at least."

"It IS Ruby," Nora said, and Yang froze.

"Huh?" Yang asked, confused. "Has Ruby been bugging Weiss? That makes no sense. Weiss would say if Ruby was annoying her."

"No, that's not what I meant" Nora said exasperatedly, "Okay, I'll tell you, but you can't tell ANYONE else!"

"Alright, fine," Yang promised easily, "I won't say anything. Now spill!"

Nora took a deep breath and said very quickly, "Weiss is in love with Ruby and has been distant and stuff lately because she doesn't know if she should say anything or not so she doesn't screw up your team."

Yang didn't say anything for a long while. Weiss was in love with Ruby? That made literally no sense. Weiss may have warmed up a little, but nothing Yang had seen told her she was hiding feelings for Ruby.

Except, now that she thought about it, she had. During classes, Weiss would sometimes look at Ruby out of the corner of her eye and immediately look away if she thought Ruby had caught her. Other times, when Weiss hadn't fled the room immediately, she would sit close to Ruby. Laugh more at her jokes, that sort of thing. And at least once, Yang had seen Weiss look at Ruby with a small smile on her face.

Yang hadn't exactly paid much attention, because it was Weiss. They didn't get on very well, even being part of the same team. But now the missing piece of the puzzle was in place, and it all made sense. In her head, Yang could see Ruby and Weiss together, and it was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"Oh my god," Yang said slowly, "They would make the most ADORABLE COUPLE! Oh, I hope she asks Ruby out. Ruby's never been out on a date before. Oh that's going to be AMAZING!"

"Wow," Nora said, taking a step back, "To be honest, I did not expect that."

"Oh, I can't wait till they get back," Yang said excitedly, "I hope it isn't too awkward for them." Yang's brain had already rushed down the train of thought on what Ruby should wear for the inevitable date to come.

The Bullhead had landed, and Ruby and Weiss exited into Vale. Weiss was still amazed that the kingdom had such a rustic feel. Atlas was so different, being the pinnacle of technology in all of Remnant. Vale was almost the opposite, keeping an old time feel while not feeling left behind by the world at the same time.

"So," Ruby said, a little awkwardly, "Vale!" Ruby gestured to the city in front of them. "What do you want to do first?" Ruby looked at Weiss and smiled, blushing a little. Their…moment on the Bullhead was still in her mind, but Ruby was determined to make Weiss happy today so she decided to do her best to ignore it for now.

"Uh," Weiss said, looking around, "I'm not sure. Though to tell you the truth, I would kill for a coffee." Coffee would settle her nerves.

"Oh, cool," Ruby said, "There's an awesome café Yang used to take me to when we'd visit Vale before we came to Beacon. I'll show you." Ruby led Weiss through the streets to a small, out of the way café that only had a few patrons. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Oh," Weiss had assumed she'd be buying the drinks. It took her a second to process this fact before she answered, "Uh, black and two sugars…please?"

"No cream? Bleagh," Ruby said, making a face and sticking her tongue out in disgust, "Okay, I'll be back." Ruby quickly left to get their drinks, leaving Weiss to find a table. Weiss found one out of the way, so they could have a little privacy.

Weiss was trying to work up the courage to ask Ruby on a date, or to be her girlfriend, or whatever she was supposed to do. God, why was this so difficult?

"Ruby, will you…I mean, do you think we…I mean, will you do me the honour of…no that's stupid." Weiss threw her hands up in the air in frustration. Thankfully, Ruby chose that moment to come back with two steaming cups of coffee.

"Here you are," Ruby said brightly, "One coffee, two sugars and black. Drink up!" Weiss thanked Ruby and took a sip and nearly burnt her tongue. Weiss set it back down and watched Ruby casually take a gulp of her coffee. "Isn't that really hot?"

"I don't even notice anymore," Ruby said, taking another gulp, "I drink so much coffee, I think I'm just permanently on a caffeine and sugar high."

"That would explain your…enthusiastic approach to life," Weiss said, gently sipping on her coffee. It wasn't too hot now. For a few moments, they sat in silence, just enjoying each other's company. Weiss was watching Ruby as she bobbed her head up and down, drinking her coffee. Ruby was so…so…so _beautiful._ It was not a word Weiss ever thought she'd associate with Ruby, but that was the one word that kept leaping to mind. Screw it, she was going to ask her out now!

"So, Ruby," Weiss began, but faltered once Ruby turned her eyes to hers. Weiss's brain slowed to a halt and changed direction entirely. "Uh…where are you from? I don't think I've ever asked before."

"No," Ruby said, tilting her head like a cat, "You never have. Why are you asking now?"

"I…" Weiss hesitated again, "It just occurred to me that we don't actually know that much about each other. I just wanted to rectify that."

"Well," Ruby said, setting her coffee on the table, "I grew up in Patch. It's an island just off the coast of Vale. It's a pretty cool place, quiet except for Signal Academy. That's where I trained to come to Beacon. Both my dad and my uncle teach there. My uncle is the one who taught me how to use Crescent Rose."

"What's Patch like? Outside of Signal, I mean." Weiss asked, leaning forward, enjoying listening to Ruby talk. It was rare Ruby talked about herself. Ruby talked a lot, but she never seemed to talk about herself.

"Like I said, quiet," Ruby said, "There's big forests, and in the autumn, it kinda looks like it's on fire. But it's when it snows it's really beautiful. The whole island is blanketed in white. The trees look scary, like a fairy tale forest. It's…" Ruby sighed, and noticed Weiss was smiling at her. It made Ruby's heart flutter a little, "What?"

"Nothing," Weiss said, shaking her head, "It's just…enjoyable to listen to you talk right now. You mentioned your father and your uncle. What about your mother? What does she do?" Ruby's hands tightened on her cup, and her face twisted with pain. "Did I say something wrong?" Weiss asked, concerned. Ruby was never without a smile on her face. Weiss didn't think she'd ever really seen Ruby sad or in pain like that. But seeing it now made Weiss' heart drop.

"No," Ruby said, her voice strained, tears forming in her eyes, "It's just you asked about…You mentioned…" Ruby took a deep breath as tears began to drop down her face, "My mom disappeared. Almost twelve years ago now. I was only three." Ruby wiped her eyes, and Weiss was horrified with herself. Weiss reached out and touched Ruby's hand. Ruby's hand turned and Weiss placed it gently onto Ruby's palm. Their fingers tightened, Weiss' touch giving Ruby some solace.

"I'm sorry, Ruby," Weiss said sincerely, "I didn't mean to reopen old wounds."

"No, it's not your fault," Ruby said, her thumb gently brushing Weiss' hand. "It happened a long time ago. We have a marker for her, looking out over a cliff at the edge of the forest near home. I still go and talk to her when I can. Is that weird?" Ruby looked at Weiss, their eyes locking. Ruby looked concerned that talking to her mother was a strange thing to be doing.

"No," Weiss said, "You're…honouring her memory. Can you tell me about her?"

"I don't remember much," Ruby admitted, "But she used to bake the best cookies and she made me my first hood," Ruby tugged subconsciously at the red hood draped around her. "She used to have one just like it, but in white. Dad says that she was the leader of their old team, so I guess I'm following in her footsteps." Ruby smiled sadly. "She was the best mom."

"She sounds like it," Weiss said. The two of them shared a smile, before they both looked down and saw their hands touching. Neither wanted to let go, so when they finally separated, it was very reluctant. Weiss flexed her hand, the warmth of Ruby's lingering on her palm. Ruby finished wiping her eyes of tears.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall apart on you," Ruby said, smacking her cheeks and putting her smile back on, "I'm meant to cheer you up, not the other way around."

"It's okay," Weiss said, smiling as a plan formed in her head, "Just being here is good enough for me. But I know how to cheer _you_ up. Come on," Weiss stood up and offered out her hand. Ruby looked at her curiously, but only hesitated a second. Ruby placed her hand in Weiss' and stood up.

"Where are you taking me?" Ruby asked, giggling as Weiss led her out of the café. It felt good, holding Weiss' hand.

"To the one place I know is in Vale," Weiss said, tightening her grip a little on Ruby's hand, almost afraid to let go.

"Okay," Yang said as she finished hanging the happy birthday banner, "I think we are good to go." Yang jumped down from the step ladder just as Blake and Nora finished setting out the food and stuff. Nora finally got her wish and there was a cake, but it wasn't a big cake. Just big enough for the eight of them to have a piece each. Candles were placed on it already, just waiting to be lit.

"This is going to be amaaaaazing," Nora said, slipping into an operatic note.

"Weiss sure is going to appreciate this," Jaune said, "If she doesn't lose her mind. So, what's the plan?"

"I am going to send Ruby a message," Yang said, pulling out her scroll, "And then she will send me a message when they're close so we can hide. Then, we all yell surprise when Weiss walks in. After that, we wing it!"

Yang punched the air, excited. Hopefully Weiss will have asked Ruby out before they got back. Otherwise, Yang would have to do a subtle bit of matchmaking. This was going to be the best day ever.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Weiss led Ruby to the biggest clothing shop in Vale. A rather large, two floor building filled with all sorts of choices. Not that Ruby had ever really bought clothes: Ruby bought materials and pretty much made her own.

"Why a clothing store?" Ruby asked as Weiss guided her through the front door.

"When I was little," Weiss said as she moved through the aisles and aisles of clothing, "And my father would come home angry, my sister Winter would take me out the next day to buy clothes. Or shoes. Or something to cheer me up. So, I'm going to do the same for you. Besides, I need a new dress for the dance soon, so we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Oh, okay," Ruby said, still letting Weiss drag her along by the hand. It was a nice feeling, holding someone's hand. Weiss' skin was a little cold, which was fitting. Soft too, and kind of delicate. "But I don't think I have the money to get something from here. These look really expensive."

"You won't be buying anything, silly," Weiss said matter-of-factly, "I will. It's one of the perks of being heiress to the biggest Dust company in Remnant." This was not how Ruby thought this day was going to go, at all. But she was meant to distract Weiss while the others set up, so she kept quiet. Weiss finally seemed to find what she was looking for. A long row of dresses in various shades of red. Some had different colours mixed with the red, others were in different styles from different countries.

Weiss let go of Ruby's hand and began looking at the dresses, hands expertly gliding from one to the other. Ruby fidgeted uncomfortably, her hand still tingling from holding Weiss'. Ruby glanced at one of the price tags and almost fell over. These were stupidly expensive. Ruby's dad could have fed them for over a month for the price of just one of these dresses. No way could Ruby let her buy one of these.

 _But she wants to. She can afford it no problem. What you don't want is her doting on you just as a friend._

"Weiss," Ruby said carefully, not wanting to offend her, "I'm not really comfortable with this. You buying me stuff, I mean."

"Why?" Weiss said, turning to Ruby, one hand on a dress. "What's the problem?" Weiss' brain started ticking away. Why would Ruby feel uncomfortable? It was just some dresses: Weiss went through dozens of them a year. "Is it the money? I have enough for the both of us. Or is it the clothes? There's bound to be something here for you."

"It's not that," Ruby said, shaking her head, "I just…I want to…" The words just wouldn't form in her mouth. "I don't know, I just don't feel comfortable. I mean, look at these." Ruby pulled one dress off the rack and held it in front of her. "I'm a kid from Patch, I don't wear stuff like this."

Weiss shook her head and stepped up to Ruby, taking the dress from her and placing it back on the rack before taking Ruby's hands in her own. Ruby's hands were nice and warm, with the subtle feel of callouses from hard work. It was getting easier and easier to hold Ruby's hands. Only yesterday Weiss could barely be in the same room as her.

"Ruby," Weiss said, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. But I wasn't going to buy you the whole store, just a couple of dresses. I mean, outside of our uniforms, it's not like we wear much outside of our combat gear. Besides, I want to buy them for you. You don't have to pay me back. You don't even have to wear them if you don't want to."

There was no talking Weiss out of this, and Ruby wasn't going to try very hard. This was keeping Weiss' mind off whatever was bugging her, and it would make her happy.

"Okay," Ruby said, rubbing the top of Weiss' hands with her thumbs absent mindedly, "Okay, but only two dresses, alright? I think our room might explode if we put too much in there." Weiss laughed, a musical sound Ruby rarely, if ever, heard.

"Alright," Weiss said, letting Ruby's hands go and going back to the dresses. After a second, Weiss had two picked out. Handing them to Ruby, she said, "Okay, you take these and go try them on. I think they're the right size. I'm going to find shoes."

"Shoes!?" Ruby asked incredulously, but Weiss had dashed off, leaving Ruby to find a dressing room. Ruby walked dejectedly to the dressing room and looked at herself in the mirror. "What chance do you have?" Ruby asked herself. "She's rich, she's beautiful and she knows fashion. What have you got to offer? Besides being able to twirl a scythe around and move really fast." Ruby touched her face, her reflection not showing her what she should be seeing. Ruby had never really been self-conscious about her appearance before now. Just like she'd never really thought about relationships before this morning.

Where were these thoughts coming from? Just a little while ago, Ruby had been concerned with making Weiss happy. Then their almost kiss moment in the Bullhead had sent her brain into freefall. Ruby shouldn't be feeling so bad about this: Weiss hadn't rejected her. In fact, Weiss seemed to feel the same way. It was Weiss who was initiating all the hand holding they'd done today. Weiss who had been acting strangely for weeks now. So Weiss had to feel the same way, for longer than Ruby had at least. Ruby closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, before looking back into the mirror with resolve. Maybe these dresses would make her look good. She didn't know, but she had to try. If for no other reason than this seemed to make Weiss happy.

Ruby quickly changed into the first dress and had to admit, she did look pretty good in it. A red that almost matched her hood that almost looked like her combat skirt, only without all the layers. A black sash went around her waist and there was a net over the exposed parts of her chest that kept her modest. Ruby didn't really like exposing her skin, and the dress showed more of her arms than she was comfortable with. But seeing as it was only her arms, Ruby could get used to it. Ruby twirled around in it a little bit.

"Not gonna lie, this is kinda cute," Ruby said, looking at her reflection. Ruby held up the second dress and looked at it, and thought that it was a bit too…revealing. But it did look good: it was red and white, with one side longer than the other. It looked like something Yang might wear out to a club or something. Oh, what the hell? Ruby changed into the other dress and looked at herself in the mirror. It looked good. Ruby felt a little silly in it, but she couldn't deny that the dress worked on her.

"I'm back," Weiss said, making Ruby jump. "Here, try these on." Weiss slid a box underneath the door of the changing room. Ruby opened it and her eyes went wide.

"Heels?" Ruby asked incredulously. "I don't know how to walk in heels, Weiss!" They were good looking heels, red like her dress. They weren't as extreme as Weiss' heeled boots, but they were still pretty high.

"It's not that hard," Weiss said, "Just try them on. Please?" Oh, to hell with it. Ruby, rather awkwardly, strapped the heels to her feet and stood, wobbling as she did. Stupid lady stilts.

"So," Ruby asked loudly, "Are you gonna go find a dress?"

"I had mine ordered a few weeks ago," Weiss said, "I just have to pick it up at the front desk when we leave."

"Oh, cool," Ruby said quietly. She was kind of hoping that Weiss would disappear again so she could change back into her hood and combat skirt.

"So, what do you think of my choices?" Weiss asked. "Have you tried them on?"

"I tried the first one," Ruby said, "The one with the black sash. It looked kind of cute."

"Only kind of?" Weiss asked, before berating herself for such a dumb question. Ruby didn't think the way she did about clothes. "What about the other one? Have you tried it on yet?"

"I am wearing it right now," Ruby said, checking herself out in the mirror again. The more she looked, the more she felt she wasn't meant to be wearing this dress. But at the same time, she knew she looked good in it. It was weird, what was going through her head right now.

"Well, let me see," Weiss said impatiently. "Don't keep me waiting, Ruby." Ruby took a breath and opened the door, stepping out. She stood in front of Weiss, hands clasped in front of her.

"Well," Ruby asked, feeling a little embarrassed. "How do I look? Do I look stupid? I feel kinda stupid."

Weiss didn't answer straight away. Ruby was wearing the red and white dress, separated by an almost wave like pattern. The dress hung long on one side, brushing at Ruby's ankle. The other was shorter, only coming part way down her thigh. Her arms were shown off as well, revealing defined muscles Weiss had never noticed. She'd need them for swinging that scythe around, but she always kept them covered when Weiss was around. The dress came all the way up to her neck, but Weiss knew that the dress was backless. The heels made Ruby a bit taller than Weiss, but Weiss only had height when she was wearing her heeled boots, so it wasn't hard to be taller than her.

"You look amazing," Weiss said. And she meant it: if she could teach Ruby proper posture, no one would be able to keep their eyes off of her. But even slouching and being a delicate wallflower like she was, she still looked stunning.

"You're just saying that," Ruby said, keeping her eyes down. Weiss shook her head. Why couldn't Ruby see what she was seeing? That Ruby was, right now, the most beautiful person she'd ever seen.

"No, I'm not," Weiss insisted, and Ruby smiled a little, "You look beautiful, Ruby. But, there's something missing." Ruby still looked uncomfortable, so she needed something to ease that. So, Weiss stepped past Ruby and retrieved her hood. After the story about her mother, Weiss wouldn't dare let her be without it.

"This is what you're missing," Weiss said as she draped it over Ruby's shoulders. Weiss stepped back as Ruby fastened it around her neck. "There," Weiss said, smiling, "Now you look perfect." The cape hung loosely around Ruby, casually concealing the dress. Meaning Ruby could pull it around her if she ever got too uncomfortable wearing it.

Ruby blushed even redder at the compliment, before hearing her scroll buzz. That had to be Yang. The party must be ready. Ruby went to go back into the changing room, but she slipped in the heels. Weiss, for the second time that day, managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Stupid lady stilts," Ruby said out loud as Weiss helped her steady herself, "How do you fight in these?"

"I've had years of practice," Weiss said, smiling a little. "Don't worry, I'll teach you how to walk in them. It's not hard once you get the hang of it." Ruby walked carefully and checked her scroll. She was right: Yang and the gang were ready.

"Hey," Ruby said, going over the cover story, "Yang needs us back at Beacon. She has something important to tell us."

"Really?" Weiss asked, curious, "So important she didn't call?" Ruby cringed inwardly. This was going to be tougher than she thought.

"I don't know," Ruby said, trying to sound sincere, "All it says is that she wants to talk to us." Ruby took a deep breath before her next sentence. "Look, I would rather spend the rest of the day with you, but I think we should at least see what she wants."

Weiss' heart leapt at that. The rest of the day? Only a little while ago, Weiss was feeling apprehensive at that prospect. Now, Weiss wanted nothing else.

"Alright," Weiss said after a second, "Get changed and we'll go. Maybe we can just…hang out at Beacon for a while after we see Yang."

Ruby smiled. "I'd like that." Ruby quickly changed back into her regular clothes, before taking the dresses and heels to the front counter. Weiss paid for them and the cashier carefully placed the dresses into separate boxes before retrieving the dress Weiss ordered. Not long after that, Ruby and Weiss were back on the Bullhead and headed back towards Beacon.

After dropping the boxes off at their room, Ruby and Weiss walked down the halls of Beacon.

"Why would Yang want to talk to us in Professor Port's office?" Weiss asked as Ruby led the way. They hadn't held hands since the clothing store, or had any moments, and the doubt was creeping its way back in Weiss' mind. Especially as it seemed Ruby was hiding something from Weiss.

"Search me," Ruby said, a little nervously, "She just said to come here."

"Ruby," Weiss said, stopping in the hall, "What's going on?" Ruby stopped and turned around. Weiss' eyes were hard and her arms were folded.

"Nothing's going on," Ruby said unconvincingly, "At least, nothing I know about." Ruby twisted her leg again, one of her tells.

"I'm not going another step until you tell me what's going on," Weiss said, unfolding her arms and placing her hands on her hips. Ruby took a deep breath: this was not how things were supposed to go.

"Weiss," Ruby said, stepping close and taking both of Weiss' hands in hers, like Weiss did back in the store, "Can you trust me for just a little bit? Please? You'll understand in a second."

Weiss wanted to argue the point further: she didn't like secrets. But it was Ruby who was asking, looking at her with those gorgeous silver eyes. "Okay," Weiss said, "But it had better be worth it."

"It will be, don't worry," Ruby said brightly, before letting go of Weiss' hands and starting down the hallway again.

 _I'm going to do it._ Weiss decided internally as she followed Ruby down the hall. _I am going to ask her to be my girlfriend. Tonight._ If today was any indication, Ruby would probably say yes. If not, she might say yes to a date. Weiss couldn't see her outright saying no. Not after their moments today.

Finally, they reached the lecture hall. Ruby opened the door and bowed, gesturing for Weiss to go inside. Weiss stepped into the room, which was very dark. "Ruby?" Weiss asked slowly, "What's going on?"

Ruby didn't answer, she just slipped inside and flipped the light switch. "SURPRISE!" The yell almost knocked Weiss back out of the room, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WEISS!" It took Weiss a second to process what she was seeing. Her teammates and all of Team JNPR were standing around a table laden with food, drink and presents wrapped in white paper. Streamers in white and red and blue were hung from the ceiling along with the same colours in balloons. The centre piece was a banner that read HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEISS in big red letters.

"How…" Weiss wasn't sure what question to ask first. A wave of emotions was surging through her. None of them bad emotions. "When…who…"

"Winter called me last night," Ruby said, walking up to Weiss while the group watched. "She was concerned you wouldn't want to celebrate your birthday, so she asked me to make sure you did."

"It's not a lavish party with hundreds of guests and presents worth more than most houses," Yang said half-jokingly "But we thought you'd appreciate this more. Do you like it?"

Weiss felt tears of happiness slowly fall from her eyes. "I love it," she said quietly, "Thank you, everyone." Everyone smiled and said it was nothing. But Yang saw an opportunity to help speed things along between Weiss and Ruby.

"You really should thank Ruby," Yang said, beaming, "It was all her idea."

Weiss looked at Ruby, disbelief on her face. "Really?" How had she managed that? Ruby was notoriously impulsive. She'd gotten better at battle plans, but this seemed a bit much.

"Well," Ruby said bashfully, twisting her leg again and rubbing the back of her neck, "Everyone else did the hard work. I just had to keep you from noticing." Ruby would have continued talking, but Weiss chose that moment to throw her arms around Ruby and hug her. Tightly. Ruby started imagining them together again.

"Thank you," Weiss whispered into Ruby's ear. Ruby smiled and blushed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yang and Nora exchange a look and fist bump. What was that about?

"Any time," Ruby said, returning the hug. After a few seconds, Ruby said, "Uh, Weiss?"

"I've been hugging you too long," Weiss said, instantly understanding, "haven't I?"

"Yeah, just a little bit," Ruby said. Weiss broke off the hug and coughed, restoring her image of propriety. Ruby just rubbed the back of her head and blushed.

"Alright," Yang said, clapping her hands loudly. "Let's get this party started!" Everyone cheered in agreement, and the party commenced. With a big burst of confetti from hidden improvised cannons.

That had been Yang's idea. Lavish it may not be, but no one could deny that this party wouldn't be exciting.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

Weiss had never had a more enjoyable birthday party. Bigger ones, yes. More luxurious, yes. But they had all been basically long handshaking sessions. More to do with her father and his business dealings than really to do with her.

In contrast, this party was the opposite: all about her. Food was doled out and piled onto a plate for her. All of it junk, which had never tasted so good in her life. Weiss normally kept a fairly strict diet, but seeing as it was her birthday, she decided to indulge a little. And party games! Everyone found it strange that Weiss had never played any before. Ruby had great delight in blindfolding and spinning Weiss around for a game of Pin the Tail on the Beowulf. Weiss had felt sick for a while after that. But after stabbing the Beowulf in the head with its own tail, Weiss was determined to get it right. Others were just as fun and silly, but Weiss didn't really remember those ones. She was too busy enjoying herself for once.

"I've never had so much fun," Weiss was saying while they took a second after some games to rest. "Is this what other people do? Or are you just making it up?"

"I have seven sisters," Jaune said, "so my birthdays were pretty much just glorified tea parties. Still, I was the birthday king." Jaune posed dramatically and everyone, including Weiss and Ren, started laughing.

"That explains so much," Yang said, when everyone was done giggling.

"Hey, it was a proud Arc family tradition," Jaune said indignantly, "What did you do growing up?"

"I had fairly big parties," Yang said, waving a hand, "Cake, friends, presents, the usual."

"PRESENTS!" Nora shouted, surprising everyone. Nora leapt out of her chair and grabbed a gaudy package wrapped in pink paper. "This is from me," she said, handing it to Weiss. Weiss took the package and went to carefully unwrap it, before being seized by childish impulses and tearing the wrapping paper voraciously. Nora had given her a new binder to replace the one Ruby had…borrowed for her Best Day Ever activities.

"Is it the right one?" Nora asked. "We didn't have a whole lot of time."

"This is fine," Weiss said, running a hand over it. "Thank you, Nora." The others were handing her presents now. Except Ruby, who looked like she was nervous. Yang and Blake had gotten her a novel, one from Blake's collection that she hadn't read yet.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get around to it," Blake said as Weiss unwrapped it, "I'm sure you'll enjoy it." Ren, Jaune and Pyrrha had pooled together with as much stuff as they could find, including stuffed animals, a bouquet of white flowers and a photo frame.

"Hopefully we can get a nice photo to go in it," Pyrrha was saying as she handed it over. Weiss was overwhelmed with emotion. All because of one phone call, her older sister had given her the best birthday of her life.

"Ruby," Yang said, "You've got the last present." Weiss looked at Ruby, and who was holding a red box wrapped with a white ribbon. Ruby took a deep breath before handing it to Weiss.

"Happy birthday, Weiss," Ruby said, before nervously watching her untie the ribbon and lift the lid off the box.

Weiss gasped as she looked inside the box. Nestled on a cushion of velvet was a handmade necklace. Black string with red beads that surrounded silver letters that spelled 'Weiss'.

"I worked on it all night," Ruby said, eyes on Weiss' face. "The hard part was finding all the right letters. Do you like it?"

"I love it," Weiss said quietly before putting it on. It didn't hang very low, but it fit her aesthetic very well. "Thank you, Ruby." Weiss and Ruby shared a smile before returning their attentions to the party. Yang and Nora shared a look, and the party continued. Though now it was just cake and conversation, which Weiss found she almost enjoyed more than party games. No one was talking about anything important, they were just talking.

After cake, everyone started to pack the party up. Weiss wanted to help, but everyone wouldn't have it. Ruby had rushed headfirst into cleaning, so Weiss sat on her own. Weiss unclipped the necklace and stared at it. All night, Ruby had said. She had worked on it all night. Weiss adored it. It was simple, but there was meaning behind it. Like Ruby: she wore her heart on her sleeve, and everyone could see. Not like Weiss, whose feelings were locked behind the icy wall of her upbringing. Except the feelings she has for Ruby, which was like hot sunlight melting away an iceberg.

"So, asked her out yet?" A voice asked quietly. Weiss looked up and saw Yang looking at her, almost motherly. It was an expression Weiss had seen Yang use when she looked at Ruby.

There was no question as to who Yang was talking about. The question was: how did Yang find out? There was only one explanation. "What did Nora tell you?"

"Not much," Yang admitted, sitting next to Weiss. The others were talking and laughing while they packed up the party. "But you didn't answer my question."

"No," Weiss said, looking at Ruby. "Not yet. I want to do it tonight, but I don't know what to say."

"Hey, Ruby," Yang said, adopting a fake posh accent, "I may be a moody ice queen, but I think you're positively charming. Will you accompany me to an expensive dinner?"

"That was a terrible impression," Weiss said, glaring. But there was no real malice in the glare, and Yang knew it.

"Look," Yang said, putting a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "I know Ruby. She likes you, I know it. She might not know she does, but she does. I've never seen her put so much effort into anything before she met you."

Weiss looked at Yang curiously. "What is this? Why are you…" Weiss had to search for the right word, "matchmaking?"

"Because Ruby has been on her own for too long," Yang said, "and I think you two will be good for each other. You need more fun in your life and Ruby needs someone to keep her feet on the ground. Just know, if you break her heart," Yang's eyes flashed red, "The entire Atlesian army won't save you from me."

Earlier today, Weiss might have been cowed by that threat. But right now, Weiss stood her ground. "I have no intention of breaking her heart, Yang. I'd rather cut off my own arm than hurt Ruby."

"Then ask her out already!" Yang said, almost too loudly. "What's holding you back?"

"Right now?" Weiss asked. "The fact I have zero experience with this sort of thing. I don't want her to turn me down."

"You're too focused on trying to get the right outcome, Weiss," Yang said softly, "Just…speak from the heart. Tell her how you feel, and it will all fall into place." Weiss had to admit, Yang was making sense. Weiss never really thought of Yang as the mature one. That role mostly fell to Blake. But Weiss remembered what Ruby had said about her mother, and suddenly the way Yang worried about Ruby made more sense.

"Thank you, Yang," Weiss said, and Yang smiled before going back to the group. Cleaning was taken care of, so JNPR was leaving, which left only her team. Weiss looked at her new necklace again, and remembered Ruby hunched over the desk in their room, fiddling away with something she couldn't see at the time. Weiss put the necklace back on, before standing up and steeling herself for what she was about to do. Weiss walked down and approached Ruby, doing her best not to falter. She'd made her decision, now it was time to follow through on it.

"Ruby," Weiss said, getting her attention. "Can I talk to you for a second? In private?"

"Uh, sure, Weiss," Ruby said, after a second. The pair of them left the room, with Yang beaming as they left.

"What was that about?" Blake asked, looking at the joyful expression on Yang's face.

"Beacon is going to have a new hot couple tomorrow," Yang said happily. Blake looked at Yang, then towards the door where Ruby and Weiss had left.

"I'll be honest," Blake said, "I didn't see that coming. I hope it works out for them."

"It will," Yang said confidently.

"So," Ruby said as she and Weiss walked to the fountain in the middle of the school. The sun was only just starting to set, bathing everything in soft golden light. Weiss hadn't said anything for a while, and she looked like she was trying to work herself up for something. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Uh, can we sit?" Weiss asked, gesturing to a nearby park bench. They sat, Ruby looking both curious and nervous. "Ruby, there's something I wanted to ask you," Weiss started, trying to find the best way to say what she wanted to say, "I was wondering…I mean…uh," the words failed to form. _No, not now!_ Ruby was right there, all she had to do as ask the question.

"Are you alright?" Ruby asked, concerned, "You look ill." Ruby's mind was racing. Was Weiss about to ask her out? Ruby's heart began to speed up. _Please_ that be what Weiss wanted to ask.

Weiss' brain had jammed. Ruby was right there, looking at her expectantly. All she had to do was say the words. It shouldn't be this hard! Weiss reached out and took Ruby's hands, trying to strengthen her resolve. "Ruby Rose?" Weiss said carefully, hoping that her words didn't fail her.

"Yeah?" Ruby asked, slightly tightening her grip on Weiss' hands, almost afraid to let go.

Weiss took a deep breath and looked into those silver eyes. "Will you be my girlfriend?" Once the words were in the air, it was like all the worry and doubt had left her. Ruby looked back into her eyes, happiness forming on her face.

"Yes," Ruby said, smiling. "Yes, Weiss Schnee, I will be your girlfriend." Weiss' heart soared, and she had to physically stop herself from cheering. So instead, she jumped up and pulled Ruby into a tight hug, spinning her around. Ruby squealed in surprise, but laughed as Weiss spun her. This was not the same Weiss she'd met only a few months ago. Weiss finally set her down, and Ruby was left breathless.

"Are you alright?" Weiss asked, still holding onto Ruby.

"I'm fine," Ruby said, still short of breath, "just…" she looked up into Weiss' crystal blue eyes. "Just really happy."

"Me too," Weiss said, "I was so nervous."

"You didn't need to be," Ruby said, her hands resting on the back of Weiss' neck. "I was never gonna say no. So what happens now?"

"I don't know," Weiss admitted. She never thought ahead this far. "I suppose we should go on a date. Next weekend?"

"Gee," Ruby said, looking away mischievously, "I don't know…" Ruby tried to keep a straight face, but the worry on Weiss' face made her burst out laughing. "I'm kidding. Of course I'll go on a date with you. Just nothing too fancy, alright?"

"Okay," Weiss said, filing that into her memory. Nothing too fancy, that shouldn't be too hard. The two of them stared at each other for a long while, before they realised they were still embraced. Both of them laughed a little nervously, until they realised they weren't letting go.

"Uh," Ruby started saying, but before she could finish a thought Weiss had leant forward and pushed her lips to Ruby's. Ruby made a surprised sound, then a sort of pleased humming noise as she responded to the kiss. It wasn't full of teenaged passion, it was much more subdued. It was a fairy tale kiss, a promise of love between two souls.

When they finally broke apart, both of them were a little breathless. "Wow," Ruby said, "That was…wow!"

"Yeah," Weiss said, running a finger across Ruby's cheek, "That was an amazing kiss."

"Not bad for my first, huh?" Ruby asked, smiling nervously. Weiss smiled back, showing her perfectly white teeth.

"Well, it was my first kiss too," Weiss said, placing a hand to the back of Ruby's head and leaning closer again. "And I think we need a little more practice." Their lips touched again, and this kiss was a little more passionate as they both let their feelings take over. Weiss slid a hand to the small of Ruby's back, pulling her body closer to hers. Ruby's hands moved to the side of Weiss' face, fingers feeling the delicate skin of her cheeks. After a minute, they broke apart again, touching their foreheads together.

"Wow," Ruby said again, and Weiss smiled. Right now, Weiss couldn't believe that she had been worried. Her lips were still tingling from the pressure of Ruby's. Only this morning, Weiss had still been unsure about how to deal with her feelings. Now, Ruby was her girlfriend. It made her heart feel so…so _warm_ to think that. Ruby was hers, and she was Ruby's.

"We should probably get back," Weiss said, looking up, "The sun's gone down." And it had: the courtyard was now lit by the light of the broken moon.

"Yeah," Ruby said, not wanting the moment to end. But there would be plenty more moments to have, so they held hands, entwining their fingers as they walked back to their room.

Neither of them noticed the young blonde man staring after them. Jaune hadn't meant to spy on them. He'd been walking around, getting lost as he usually did, and had ended up by the central courtyard. Jaune had heard Weiss talk first, and had hid, building some courage for another attempt to woo her. Seventh time lucky, right? Until he heard the conversation properly, and Weiss asked Ruby to be her girlfriend. Jaune felt his heart drop as Ruby had said yes. What? This wasn't supposed to happen. Then they had kissed, and Jaune had been filled with something close to anger, but not quite. It had taken him a second to realise that what he was feeling was betrayal. Ruby was his friend, and friends didn't just swoop in and start dating a girl you were interested in. That broke like ten different friendship rules!

In a huff, Jaune stalked off to try and find his room. It never occurred to Jaune that Weiss had never been interested in him as a romantic prospect. Nor the fact that Ruby probably didn't plan to help break Jaune's heart. In fact, Jaune was too caught up in feeling angry at the pair of them and sorry for himself it never occurred to him that he was being an idiot. Jaune was too preoccupied with his own feelings that he didn't have time to be happy for his friends.

Weiss and Ruby arrived back at the room, and as Ruby opened the door, the new couple was greeted by Yang, standing expectantly. Blake was curled up on her bed, reading a book, but looked up when they opened the door.

"So," Yang said in her singsong voice, drawing out then 'oooooooo', "How'd it go?"

Ruby was confused, but Weiss just smiled and held up her and Ruby's hands, fingers still entwined. Yang let out an excited noise and pulled the two of them into a massive hug. The air was driven out of their bodies, and Yang was totally oblivious.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two!" Yang said loudly, still crushing them.

"Congratulations," Blake said, smiling slightly, "I hope you'll both be happy together."

"Thank you, Blake," Weiss managed to strangle out. Yang's hugs were like being stuck in an Ursa's grip after Nora had been chasing it. That had been a strange day.

"Yang," Ruby gasped, tapping her sister's arm, "Too tight." Yang finally let them go and Ruby and Weiss gasped huge breaths. Yang just stood there, beaming and bouncing in place.

"Sorry," Yang said, "I'm just so happy! My baby sister has finally got a girlfriend!" Yang pulled Ruby into another back breaking hug, and Weiss giggled. Overwhelming enthusiasm was not one of the responses Weiss was expecting.

"Weiss, help," Ruby gasped as Yang squeezed. "Please. Dying."

"Yang," Weiss said, tapping her shoulder, "If you could not kill my girlfriend before we've been together a full twenty four hours, I'd appreciate it."

Yang finally let Ruby go, who promptly flopped into Weiss' arms.

"Thank you, Weiss," Ruby said weakly, trying to hug her but not having much strength.

"No problem," Weiss said, kissing Ruby's cheek. Yang made the same excited noise, but stopped herself from hugging them again.

"Oh, you two are so adorable!" Yang said excitedly.

The rest of the night was mostly Yang gushing and demanding details on when their first date was. Weiss answered the questions as best as she could. Ruby eventually climbed into bed while Weiss and Yang talked.

"You alright?" Blake asked Ruby as she dramatically 'thwmped' onto her pillows.

"Yang's hugs hurt," Ruby said, in lots of pain. "Especially when she's excited."

Ruby looked off the edge of her bed and stared at Weiss. When she was talking, she looked so beautiful.

Ruby fell asleep, fully clothed, the smallest of smiles on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, I'm sorry this block took so long, but my computer decided to crap itself on Christmas Day and I lost a full week of writing. Otherwise, you guys would have had these last year. I hope this latest batch is to your liking. Please leave a review, or feel free to PM me your feelings.

Also, can everyone please stop asking me to start Arkos now? Please?

* * *

Chapter Six:

Sunday passed way too fast for Ruby's liking. She and Weiss had snuck off early to spend the day together. They didn't leave Beacon, but they just wanted their first day as a couple to themselves. They had talked, laughed and kissed the day away. Ruby was still getting used to kissing: Weiss kept surprising her with a kiss when she least expected it. Not that she was complaining. They started in their courtyard, and just kept moving through Beacon, finding a new hidey-hole every time someone encroached on their privacy.

The day had ended with Ruby and Weiss laying on Ruby's bed, talking about the upcoming Vytal Festival dance. Glynda had asked RWBY to organise the dance as Team CFVY hadn't come back from their mission.

"Okay, so we've got doilies," Weiss was saying, ticking things off on her scroll while Ruby snuggled into her. "The flowers will be here soon, and Yang wants smoke machines, so we'll have to order those."

"What even are doilies?" Ruby asked, looking up at Weiss. She looked so cute when she was focused on something.

"Uh, very fancy mats," Weiss said, looking at Ruby strangely, "How do you not know what doilies are?"

"I didn't grow up in a fancy mansion, remember?" Ruby said, frowning and puffing out her cheeks in mock indignation. Weiss giggled at the face and shook her head.

"I know," Weiss said, cupping Ruby's face in her hand. Ruby nuzzled it, making a pleasant noise. "You can be so adorable sometimes."

"What do you mean, sometimes?" Ruby asked, gently poking Weiss in the ribs. Weiss let out a worried noise as she moved away from Ruby's finger, and Ruby's eyes lit up. "Weiss Schnee, are you ticklish?"

"No," Weiss said, too quickly, "A Schnee isn't ticklish, you dolt!" Weiss poked Ruby's forehead, smiling. Ruby smiled back, before leaping up and pinning Weiss beneath her. Before Weiss could fight back, Ruby had started tickling her ribs. Weiss shrieked with laughter, trying to swat Ruby away with her hands. But Ruby had grown up with Yang, so she was a rock. Totally unmovable.

Weiss was tricky however, and was able to shift her weight and make the bed swing enough to throw Ruby off balance. Ruby yelled out and tumbled off the bed, hitting the ground with a 'thump'. Ruby didn't make any noise after that.

"Oh my god," Weiss said worriedly, leaning over the edge of the bed. "Ruby, are you alright? I didn't mean to-" A hand came up and pulled Weiss down off the bed. Weiss landed on top of Ruby, who was laughing hysterically as they fell to the ground in a heap.

"You… _dunce!_ " Weiss said angrily as she picked herself up so she wasn't crushing Ruby. "How dare you make me worry like-" Weiss was cut off by Ruby's lips on hers. Ruby's lips were pleasantly warm, and Weiss made a humming noise as her anger evaporated.

"That doesn't get you off the hook," Weiss said after they broke apart, Ruby grinning like she'd won. Weiss stood up and helped Ruby get back on her feet.

"I know," Ruby said, dusting herself off, "But you're cute when you're worried." Ruby poked Weiss in the belly, and Weiss swatted her away playfully. Ruby looked out the window and saw that the sun had well and truly set. "Aww," Ruby said, disappointed. "I don't want today to be over."

"We have tomorrow," Weiss said, taking Ruby's hands in her own, pulling her close. "And the day after that, and the day after that…" Weiss trailed off as she kissed Ruby again. Weiss liked kissing Ruby. It made her feel warm inside.

"Okay," Ruby said, gently pushing Weiss away, "I'm gonna go get changed. I'll be back in a second."

"Don't rush," Weiss said, "I just have to order these smoke machines."

Ruby grabbed her pyjamas and left the room. Weiss smiled as she left. She had done a lot of that today. Being this happy was alien to Weiss. But unlike every other time she'd been happy, Weiss wasn't waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ruby made her happy, that was that. Now, to order those darn smoke machines.

Ruby had finished changing and brushing her teeth, and was just leaving the bathroom when Jaune wandered around the corner and walked through the hallway.

"Hey Jaune," Ruby said cheerfully. Jaune grunted and stalked past Ruby, not looking at her. "You okay?" Ruby asked, concerned.

"Leave me alone," Jaune said quietly, before going into JNPR's room. Well, that was weird. Ruby frowned, then shrugged and went back to RWBY's room. If something was bugging Jaune, she'd figure it out tomorrow.

"I'm back," Ruby said as she closed the door behind her. Weiss had changed in the room and was still messing around with her scroll. "Having issues with the smoke machines?"

"No," Weiss said, looking up over her scroll and smiling at Ruby. "Just going over whose attending. Your name isn't down yet."

"I thought we all had to go," Ruby said as she used her Semblance to get into her bed. The bed rocked gently on its ropes. "Didn't Glynda say attendance was mandatory?"

"We do, but your name isn't down for the dance," Weiss said. "No one asked you to go?"

"No," Ruby said without a hint of disappointment, "But that's cool. I can't dance anyway. Especially if I have to wear heels." Ruby winced at the thought. Just walking in them was ridiculous. Dancing in heels would probably kill someone.

Weiss looked up at the bottom of Ruby's bed, frowning. Truth be told, she was glad no one had asked Ruby to the dance yet. That meant she didn't have to compete with some boy. But at the same time, she was sad. Well, not sad, but disappointed. Why would no one ask Ruby? She was funny, pretty (beautiful to Weiss, but she couldn't account for other people's tastes) and always made time for other people.

It took Weiss a second to realise that she hadn't asked Ruby to the dance either. Well, she'd have to fix that, wouldn't she? Weiss put her scroll down and quickly pulled herself up to Ruby's level.

"Well, what if I took you to the dance?" Weiss asked, hanging off the side of Ruby's bed. "You have something to wear, you'll have a girl to dance with. You shouldn't have to miss it because no one else thinks you're amazing, like I do." Weiss thought she was laying it on a bit thick, but she meant what she said.

"But I can't dance," Ruby said, looking worried, "I don't want you to look stupid."

Weiss shook her head. "Ruby," she said, "I want to take you to the dance. I can always teach you how to, if you like. I mean," Weiss hesitated "If you don't _want_ to go I understand." Ruby leant forward and kissed Weiss quickly. Weiss was surprised, but pleased. "Was that a yes?"

"Yes. I will go to the dance with you, Weiss," Ruby said, "It's next Sunday, right? Gives me a whole week to learn how to walk and dance in heels." Weiss grinned, visibly happy. Weiss kissed Ruby's forehead and went back down to her bed. Ruby smiled and made a purring noise before closing her eyes. "Night, Weiss."

"Goodnight, Ruby," Weiss said quietly, and as Ruby drifted off to sleep, Weiss smiled to herself. Then Ruby started snoring softly, and Weiss laughed silently. Ruby was so unrefined. It used to grate on Weiss' nerves, but now she saw the attraction in her not being so prim and proper. Love was an amazing thing.

Ruby yawned as she woke up, stretching her entire body like a cat. The sun was shining, and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.

"Morning, sleepy head," Ruby looked down and saw Weiss, already dressed and looking spectacular. "Join me for a breakfast date?"

"Will it be just the two of us?" Ruby asked coyly, jumping down and yawning again.

"You, me, the entire Beacon student body," Weiss said, waving her hand in the air, "it's not super romantic, but," Ruby cut her off by pulling her into a passionate kiss. Until Ruby's stomach growled and ruined the moment.

"Breakfast sounds great," Ruby said, rubbing her stomach. After quickly getting changed, Ruby and Weiss headed to breakfast, arm in arm. Some of the other students looked at them as they passed, a mix of confusion and judgement on their faces. Weiss seemed able to ignore it, but Ruby couldn't. She didn't like it when people made up their minds about something without knowing the story behind it. It bugged her.

They finally arrived at the breakfast hall, and the smell of hot food made Ruby's stomach growl.

"Okay," Weiss said, extricating herself from Ruby, "You go find a spot, I'll get our food."

"You don't have to do that," Ruby said, still feeling a little self-conscious. Weiss never seemed like the food grabbing type. More the type to have a conga line of waiters to bring it out to her.

"No, I want to," Weiss said, "Now, it's Monday so you have…pancakes in the shape of Beowulves and a glass of milk. Right? Did I mess it up?"

"You remembered my breakfast," Ruby said, her eyes shining with happy tears. Weiss sighed with relief: she'd remembered it right. Weiss kissed Ruby on the cheek and went off to get their breakfast. Ruby sort of wandered around until she saw Ren, Nora and Pyrrha. Nora was waving her over, so over she went.

"Hey Ruby," Ren said as Ruby sat down. Once she did, Nora leant forward and looked at Ruby in a very askew way.

"So," Nora said, drawing out the word, "How've you been? Anything new to tell us?"

"Uh," Ruby said, "Why?" She and Weiss had been careful to avoid other people, so why would Nora be asking about her life?

"You and Weiss are together, stupid," Nora said, before grabbing Ruby's jacket and shaking her, "TELL ME DETAILS AND LET ME LIVE VICARIOUSLY THROUGH YOU!" Ruby's eyes went white as Nora shook her like a ragdoll.

"Nora," Ren admonished her, "Leave Ruby alone." Nora immediately let go and Ruby sat dizzily for a second.

"Are you and Weiss a couple now?" Pyrrha asked. Ruby shook the dizziness out of her brain and nodded, looking over at Weiss as she was piling food onto plates. "Congratulations! I hope you two are very happy together." Pyrrha was legitimately happy for Ruby and Weiss, but she had a slightly more selfish reason for being happy. If Weiss was taken, Jaune might start noticing Pyrrha's feelings for him…

"I will be honest," Ren was saying to Ruby, taking Pyrrha out of her thoughts, "I didn't expect you two to become a couple. Congratulations." Ren smiled warmly.

"Thanks Ren," Ruby said, blushing, "And I didn't expect it either. But it's been great. I mean, it's only been a day, but it feels longer."

"Like you can't imagine not being with her," Pyrrha said wistfully.

"Yeah," Ruby said, smiling. "Anyway, where's Jaune? He was in kinda a bad mood when I saw him last night."

"Yeah," Nora said, "He was in a bad mood all of yesterday, too. Did he seem off to you, Pyrrha? You trained with him yesterday."

"He did seem a little more aggressive than normal," Pyrrha said, thinking back to their training session. Jaune had come a long way, but without a Semblance, he wasn't going to be the best Huntsman he could be. "But I thought he was just frustrated with his training."

"Weird," Ruby said, before brightening up as Weiss approached with food. "Oh my god, that smells amazing!"

"One plate of pancakes," Weiss said cheerfully, "and one glass of milk." Ruby immediately began devouring her breakfast, while Weiss methodically ate her own breakfast of bacon and eggs. Sophisticated, Weiss may be, but there were only so many ways you could make a good breakfast.

"So, Weiss," Nora said, "Got any plans for a first date? DETAILS!" Everyone flinched at Nora's exuberance.

"I've given it a little thought," Weiss said, before eyeing Ruby. "But I kinda want it to be a surprise."

"I'm okay with that," Ruby said through a mouthful of pancake. Swallowing, she added, "Just nothing too fancy."

"I remember," Weiss said, a little exasperatedly. Ruby smiled broadly and pulled Weiss into a kiss. After the kiss, Jaune showed up with a tray of food and sat down without a word.

"Hey Jaune," Ruby said, and Jaune grunted in response, shovelling food into his mouth. "Okay," Ruby said, deciding to ignore him for a bit until he was ready to talk. "So, what's new with you guys? Got any plans for the dance?"

"Yeah," Weiss said, pulling out her scroll, "I don't have your names down for the dance. That would be helpful."

"Oh," Nora said, "Well, we'll be there, but do we HAVE to be down for the dance?" She was blushing furiously, keeping her face away from Ren. Maybe it was being part of a relationship making her more observant, but Ruby had never noticed that before now. Did Nora have a crush on Ren? Ruby kept her mouth shut: no point in getting involved in other people's love lives, especially with her own being fairly new.

"No," Weiss admitted after a second of thinking, "It's mostly a formality, but it does help keep track of who's going to use the dance floor. So, can I put you guys down?"

"I'm sure Nora will want to drag me onto the dance floor at some point," Ren said nonchalantly, "So you can put us down." Nora blushed more, then said something too fast for anyone else to understand and grabbed some of Ruby's pancakes before leaving in a rush. Ren excused himself soon after, wanting to be ready for class.

"Well, that was…different," Pyrrha said, "And I don't know if I'll be dancing. No one's asked me yet." Pyrrha gave a half sideways glance in Jaune's direction that went unnoticed by him. Not unnoticed, however, by Ruby and Weiss. They exchanged a glance and shared a smile.

"Hey, Jaune," Ruby said, taking the initiative. It wasn't meddling in someone's love life, just trying to nudge it along a bit. "I've just had a great idea. Why don't you take Pyrrha to the dance?" Pyrrha blushed and made a 'cut it out' gesture with her hands. Jaune did not react how Ruby thought he would. Jaune gave Ruby a death glare that made her wince and jerk backwards under its ferocity. Weiss frowned and immediately grabbed Ruby's hand and wanted to throw her body in front of Ruby. Even Pyrrha leaned away from Jaune. This was not like him at all.

"Hey, I've got a great idea," Jaune said savagely, standing and leaning forward. You wouldn't think so, but when he was angry Jaune could be very intimidating. "How about instead, I sneak around my friend's back and hook up with the girl they like? Oh wait, you already did that!" The entire breakfast hall went quiet. Everyone staring at the small group. Pyrrha held a hand to her mouth, shocked. Jaune was never like this about anything. Ruby was struck dumb, tears forming in her eyes. All the happiness from the past two days had evaporated, leaving only sadness clinging to her heart. Weiss felt her face contort with rage.

"How DARE you!?" Weiss snarled, gripping Ruby's hand tight.

"How dare I?" Jaune said, pointing to himself before violently pointing at Weiss, "HOW DARE YOU?!" Ruby choked out a sob and Weiss stood, meeting Jaune's glare with her own. A glyph appeared behind Weiss, spinning fast. Weiss didn't know what she was going to do, but her anger made it certain it would be violent.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha said, standing and pushing him away from the table so she could stand between him and Weiss. "Weiss! That's enough! This is not the place for something like this."

"Weiss," Ruby said quietly, tugging on her arm, "Don't." Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and the glyph disappeared. Jaune shrugged violently to get away from Pyrrha and stalked off. Weiss sat back down and held Ruby close, letting her lean on Weiss' shoulder. Ruby said nothing, tears silently streaming down her face. She hadn't even thought about Jaune's crush on Weiss. The fact that Jaune would be unhappy didn't even occur to her. It made her feel miserable. How dare she be happy at the expense of someone else? Self-doubt clawed its way into her mind, and made her sob.

"That was uncalled for," Pyrrha said, angry herself. "Are you alright, Ruby?"

"Look at her, Pyrrha," Weiss said, anger rising to the surface again, "Does she look alright?" Weiss kissed Ruby's hair, trying to calm her down. "It's okay," Weiss said softly, not sure what else to do, "This doesn't change how I feel about you. It's just Jaune being stupid." Weiss stroked Ruby's hair, and Ruby was able to stop crying after a second. Ruby had precious few friends, so the fact she was in danger of losing one of the first she'd made at Beacon was clearly more than she could bear.

"That's not fair, Weiss," Pyrrha said, before her mind caught up to her mouth. Defending Jaune right now was a terrible idea.

"It's true though," Weiss said, still comforting Ruby, "I've never given him any reason to think I reciprocated his crush."

"That doesn't stop him feeling it," Pyrrha said, cursing herself internally. "It doesn't excuse his actions, but it also doesn't invalidate his feelings."

"Please stop," Ruby said quietly, "I don't want any more fighting." Weiss looked down at Ruby, worry on her face. Weiss stroked Ruby's cheek, and Ruby made a sighing noise.

 _They really do love each other._ Pyrrha thought to herself as she looked at the way Weiss looked at Ruby.

"We should get to class," Pyrrha said, "We have a fight class with Glynda today, to prepare us for the festival. I'll talk to Jaune, maybe I can get him to calm down."

"Don't bother," Weiss said, helping Ruby stand up, "I'll deal with him later." Pyrrha wasn't sure she wanted to know what Weiss was planning as she watched the new couple walk away.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Ruby still looked shaken from Jaune's shouting. Which made Weiss worried: it didn't matter what life threw at Ruby, she would always bounce back in a matter of minutes. Even when Weiss had treated her badly when they first met, Ruby was sad for all of a few seconds and then was back to her normal smiling self. Weiss had never seen Ruby be this sad this long.

"Is Ruby okay?" Yang asked when the made it to class. Jaune had sat well away from everyone else, leaving Ren and Nora confused until Pyrrha explained in a hushed whisper to them what had happened. Ruby was still out of it, and Weiss was busy making sure she was as close to Ruby as possible. They all had to change into their combat gear for Glynda's class. Glynda hadn't arrived yet, so they could talk freely.

" _Jaune_ said that?" Nora asked. "I mean, wow! I never thought he had an angry bone in his body."

"I just want to know how he found out," Blake said, crossing her arms and legs as she thought out loud. "It's not like Weiss and Ruby have gone around telling everyone."

"He must've seen them together somewhere," Yang said. Weiss' brain started working. Nora had said he was in a bad mood all of Sunday. Which meant that Jaune must've seen her and Ruby together in the main courtyard on Saturday. Weiss didn't bother voicing this fact, as it had no bearing on what she was going to do. Weiss kept a firm grip on Ruby's hand, not letting go. Yang wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulder, and Weiss saw a small smile on Ruby's face. Good, Ruby was going to be okay.

Glynda arrived, and began the class. They were going to be in different combat situations, to prepare them for the Vytal Festival Tournament. Glynda was going to use a variation of the Vytal Festival's random match generator to determine opponents. First up…Pyrrha vs Team CRDL. That was going to be an interesting fight.

Pyrrha was distracted by thoughts of Jaune. Why he was so angry, and how to break him out of it before Weiss got to him. But distraction or no, she was one of the top ranked fighters in the world, and that fact kept her above water while she debated on what to do with her personal life. Even with four against one, CRDL was no match for her and her superior training. In almost no time at all, she had beaten all of them, leaving them exhausted and her slightly out of breath. Pyrrha had enjoyed that: she was still angry at Cardin for the way he had treated Jaune.

"Excellent work, Pyrrha," Glynda said, "Now, does anyone else want a match?" Glynda liked to let the students volunteer sometimes. It made it easier to see who was too distracted to fight.

"I do," Weiss said loudly, raising a hand. Everyone looked at her, surprised. Weiss never volunteered for anything since she challenged the Grimm in Professor Port's first class.

 _Oh no._ Pyrrha had an epiphany on what Weiss had planned. And she was right.

"I challenge Jaune," Weiss said, dramatically pointing towards him. Everyone immediately began talking. If they weren't in the breakfast hall when it happened, they had been told by their friends not only that Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee were a couple but that Jaune Arc had lost his temper because Weiss wasn't going out with him instead. Glynda had heard as well: she heard everything that happened in her school. Students pairing off was not something she agreed with, but she couldn't stop it so she allowed it with some grace. But personal vendettas were not something she approved of at all. But, Glynda reflected, if they had to work out their personal issues, she would rather it be regulated and somewhere where she could step in.

"Alright," Glynda said, "If Jaune consents, the match will begin in five minutes."

Jaune didn't bother saying anything. He stood up, glared in the general direction of Weiss and Ruby, huffed and walked away to retrieve his weapon. Weiss stood as well, leaning down to kiss Ruby's forehead before going to retrieve Myrtenaster, her rapier. Ruby grabbed her hand before she left, making Weiss stop and stare.

"You don't have to do this, Weiss," Ruby said, "It's not worth it."

"Don't worry," Weiss said, smiling, "I won't hurt him." Reluctantly, Ruby let go of her hand and Weiss left the stands. Weiss let the smile fall from her face. "Permanently." Weiss retrieved her weapon and checked her supply of Dust. Plenty for what she planned to do.

"Weiss, this is not a good idea," Pyrrha had entered the locker room and come up to her. Jaune had clearly left already. "Hurting Jaune physically isn't going to mend his heart."

"I'll leave that to you," Weiss said, and Pyrrha could hear the restraint in her voice. "He made Ruby cry. I will not let that stand." Weiss slammed her locker door shut, and Pyrrha jumped.

"Weiss," Pyrrha said, trying to make her see sense. But Weiss stalked past her, not paying her any attention now. "Oh, I hope she doesn't hurt him too badly." Pyrrha said, before putting her gear away and joining the others in the stands.

"Go Weiss!" Yang was cheering out as Weiss entered the arena. Jaune was already there, swinging his sword in practice. Weiss was simply spinning the Dust chamber in her weapon. "Kick his butt!"

"Fight well!" Blake said. It was her usual cheer when it came to this sort of thing. She'd spent too much of her life fighting to survive to truly care about competition fighting. But friends deserved support, so she gave it.

"Break his legs!" Nora yelled savagely. Pyrrha looked at Nora askance.

"Nora! He's our leader and teammate!" Pyrrha admonished her, while almost agreeing with her intention. "We really should be on his side."

"Jaune has behaved dishonourably," Ren said quietly, "As much as I consider him a brother, I'm firmly on Weiss' side in this argument." That surprised Pyrrha, but not too much. More that Ren was taking a side.

"I should have told him sooner," Ruby said, "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad."

"It's not your fault, Ruby," Yang said, hugging her sister, "Jaune should've taken the hint a lot earlier. He's got this coming." Ruby sighed. She hated having this bad feeling inside her. Ruby didn't know how to fix this, but she was sure that violence wasn't going to solve anything.

Weiss and Jaune faced each other in the arena. Jaune glared furiously at her. How dare she play with his feelings? Well, he'd show her. He'd show everyone.

Sense was not really reaching Jaune's brain right now. What the reality of the situation was and what he thought it was were totally different things. But Jaune was not a self-confident person, so his own insecurities were blowing this situation out of proportion and filling him with rage.

Weiss was calm on the exterior, but nursing her own rage on the inside. Their relationship may be new, but Weiss loved Ruby with all her icy heart. She should have explained to Jaune that they would never be a thing well before this, but she had been so used to guys trying to win her heart she never considered that Jaune wouldn't act the same as them. But then again, she'd never gotten into a relationship with someone else trying to woo her before.

It was all academic at this point. Jaune had made Ruby cry and feel worthless. That was unforgivable. Weiss spun the Dust container inside around, thinking about her strategy. Jaune had no Semblance, or at least not one he knew about. That meant Weiss only had to worry about his swordsmanship. Weiss had studied Pyrrha's fighting style when she wanted to partner with her on their first day, and figured Jaune would have elements of it. The only unknown really was his strategic mind: Weiss may disparage him for thinking it, but Jaune had the brain of a master tactician. Weiss was good with prepared strategies and tactics, but Jaune just had a knack for on the fly tactics. Ruby was much the same way, so it was something Weiss could anticipate.

"Let the match begin," Glynda said, and a bell rang. Jaune let out a battle cry and charged forward, swinging his sword with blind rage. Weiss dodged his sword strikes, before back flipping and calling on her Semblance. Using a glyph, Weiss launched herself into the air and summoned more glyphs, switching to her Fire Dust. The glyphs turned red and Weiss swung her blade, shooting fire balls towards Jaune. Jaune didn't bother dodging: he raised his shield and called on his Aura. He didn't have fine control of his Aura yet, but brute control was easy. Jaune's shield was pummelled by the heat, but he didn't burn. That was a plus, but when he moved his shield, Weiss was coming down with a battle shriek. Their swords met, and their glares were matched. Weiss flipped out of the way, summoning more glyphs to speed her out of reach of Jaune's blade.

"She's toying with him," Pyrrha said, watching the battle intensely as Weiss zipped around the battle field, just staying ahead of Jaune's strikes. Jaune was getting tired, and Weiss was barely out of breath. The difference between them was vast, but not insurmountable. But Jaune wasn't fighting with careful strategy and trying to figure out how to beat Weiss properly. Jaune was fighting with anger, which meant all strategy went out the window.

"Weiss," Ruby said, worried. Weiss didn't look like she'd get hurt, but all it took was one misstep and Jaune would be on her. Ruby was twitching in her seat, torn between sitting still and wanting to help. Ruby didn't want one of her best friends and her girlfriend fighting. Especially not on her account.

Back in the arena, and Jaune was losing energy fast. He checked his Aura level on his scroll, embedded in its niche on the back of the shield. It was about halfway depleted, and he hadn't landed a hit on Weiss yet. Weiss stood, poised and perfectly unafraid, Weiss smirked as she flicked her hair back and brandished Myrtenaster. A fencing pose, one that meant she wasn't threatened. Fine, two could play that game. Jaune let his shield drop to the floor and advanced on Weiss, his sword in a two-hand grip. Weiss didn't back away, and the two engaged in a quick sword duel. Weiss' fencing style was ill-equipped to handle Jaune's fierce two handed style. Weiss was fast, but she couldn't keep up under the pressure and tried to deflect the blows to no effect. Jaune got past her guard and hit her three times in quick succession, disarming her and knocking her back. Weiss lost balance and hit the ground, hard.

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled out. It took every ounce of her willpower to not just jump into the arena unarmed and stop Jaune.

Jaune advanced on Weiss, all his self-loathing and anger from his perceived slights making his sword arm tremble. Weiss tried to back away, but without her sword, she wasn't sure what to do. She heard Ruby call her name, and it was like the world fell away. Weiss felt a glyph form behind her, and she focused on both her anger at Jaune and her love for Ruby. It was like something clicked in her brain and as Jaune brought his blade down for a finishing blow, Weiss threw her hands forward to defend herself. Glynda brought her riding crop up to stop Jaune before he seriously hurt Weiss, but she stopped, surprised.

Jaune's sword was blocked with another, larger sword wielded by an enormous armoured gauntlet. Before he had time to process what happened, the sword smacked Jaune all the way to the other side of the arena before disappearing, sending him dizzy and unable to get back up. Weiss was struck dumb by what she'd just done: she'd Summoned. It was an aspect of her Glyph Semblance that had eluded her, despite spending months practicing. Her sister had mastered it and could Summon any number of Grimm constructs. Her father was a bit more rigid in his Summoning, only ever calling on giant knights in armour. Which was what Weiss had just summoned. It was only an arm, but it was a huge development for her.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out again, snapping Weiss out of her paralysis. "Hurry up and kick Jaune's butt!" There was her usual cheeriness. Weiss scrambled to her feet and ran to Myrtenaster, rolling to grab it and spinning the dust around to her preferred type of Dust. Time for a manoeuvre she'd been practicing. With a few careful gestures, several glyphs surrounded Jaune. Weiss used another to jump forward and she began to move at supersonic speeds, bouncing between the glyphs surrounding Jaune almost too fast for anyone to follow. Myrtenaster was like a spear, and with a few quick moves, Jaune's Aura was gone. Weiss landed and with a turn and a quick flick of her blade, Weiss summoned ice to surround Jaune, pinning him to the ground. Weiss advanced and put her blade to Jaune's uncovered face and drew back, cutting it and eliciting a whiny cry of pain from Jaune.

"Just so you understand," Weiss said quietly as she quickly defrosted the ice covering Jaune. "We were never going to happen. Ever. I'm sorry you feel like Ruby betrayed you, but that wasn't her intention. Or mine. Oh," she added as Jaune stood, looking ashamed. Weiss stared him straight in his eyes until Jaune looked away. "And if you ever make Ruby cry again, this will not be the worst I do to you." With those parting words, Weiss slid Myrtenaster into the sash around her waist and stalked off, leaving Jaune behind.

Now that the fight was over and Jaune had exhausted his rage, his brain finally began to work and he realised what an idiot he had been. Weiss was right: nothing was ever going to happen between them and being a jerk about it wasn't going to win anything. Jaune felt extra worthless now; he'd probably wrecked his friendship with Ruby, and by extension Yang and Blake. His team probably didn't think that much of him either. Everything looked extra hopeless right now.

Weiss placed Myrtenaster back into her locker and turned into a tackle hug from Ruby. "Don't you ever do something like that again!" Ruby said, hugging Weiss tightly. "I'm so glad you're alright." 

"Glynda would've stepped in if anything got too out of hand," Weiss said, "I didn't mean to make you worry."

"Of course I'm gonna worry, you 'dunce'," Ruby said, emulating Weiss' way of speaking for that one word, "That's what being your girlfriend is about, duh!"

"Oh, so it's okay for you to worry about me," Weiss said in mock indignation, "But if I worry enough to duel for your honour, it's bad?"

"No," Ruby said, poking Weiss in the ribs, "But you didn't have to do that. Jaune would have calmed down…maybe."

"Be honest," Weiss told her, "You enjoyed seeing me smack him around a little bit." Ruby looked at her with a smile in her eyes, and held her thumb and forefinger so they were almost touching. Weiss smiled and pulled Ruby into a kiss. It was passionate, and it helped to quiet the doubt in Ruby's heart and melt the ice around Weiss'. Weiss liked it when they were passionate.

"Maybe you two should refrain from public displays of affection, if it's going to lead to fights like this." Ruby and Weiss quickly broke apart as Glynda approached them. "Miss Schnee, for the future," Glynda said, adjusting her glasses, "A true Huntress shouldn't wear her heart on her sleeve like that. Though I should congratulate you on your Summoning. Oh, and my congratulations on your new relationship," Glynda said as she walked back to set up more matches as practice. "Finding love can be difficult." Ruby and Weiss blushed. A teacher congratulating them was a bit much.

Well after classes ended, Jaune was standing on the roof where he and Pyrrha train. He kept his distance from his team and RWBY. Jaune was too embarrassed to face them now.

"Somehow, I knew you'd be up here," a voice came from the door. Jaune turned around and saw Pyrrha, smiling at him. "Still feeling sorry for yourself?"

"Kinda, yeah," Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head. "I've been an idiot. I shouldn't have overreacted like I did."

"You don't have to tell me that," Pyrrha said, walking up to Jaune and putting a hand on his shoulder. "What you should do is apologise to Ruby and Weiss."

"Like they're gonna want to talk to me," Jaune said sadly, kicking the ground. "I've messed everything up."

"Jaune," Pyrrha said, turning him around to face her. She'd been patient and understanding with Jaune, but clearly that wasn't working. So, she shook him, hard. "Snap out of it! So Weiss doesn't like you romantically. So you behaved atrociously. So what? Life goes on, and everything will fix itself. So swallow your pride and go apologise!" Pyrrha pointed towards the door for emphasis.

Jaune went a bit dizzy from the shaking, but conceded that Pyrrha was probably right. So, he went down and stood in front of Ruby's door and raised a hand to knock. Jaune hesitated a second, before summoning his courage and knocked.

The door opened a crack, and Weiss stared out of it. "What do you want?" Weiss asked coldly.

"I, uh," Jaune said nervously, "I wanted to apologise. For being a gigantic idiot." Weiss stared at Jaune for a second, then closed the door. Well, that turned out about as well as expected.

"Who was that?" Ruby asked, lounging on Weiss' bed, books strewn out over the pillows. They had been studying together when someone knocked on the door. Yang and Blake were…somewhere. Ruby had a funny feeling that they were trying to give her and Weiss privacy.

"Jaune," Weiss said, laying back on the bed and rolling onto her stomach and picking up a pen. "He wanted to apologise."

"Did you tell him to leave?" Ruby asked. Weiss frowned and shook her head. Ruby sighed and called out to the door, "Jaune, come in." The door opened and Jaune poked his head in. "You have to tell him to leave, otherwise he hangs around," Ruby explained to Weiss. "Well, let's hear it."

Jaune entered the room and took a deep breath before bowing his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for behaving like a jerk. I'm sorry for yelling at you, Ruby. And I'm sorry for not being more supportive of the both of you."

"You're forgiven," Ruby said easily, prompting surprised looks from both Weiss and Jaune.

"Really?" Jaune asked, confused. "You're not mad at me?"

"Oh, I'm mad," Ruby said, her voice losing its normal cheerfulness. Which made Jaune very nervous. "You're not off the hook for being a giant jerk to us, but you're forgiven. And I know how you're going to make it up to us."

"Okay," Jaune said carefully. "What do I have to do?"

"Ask Pyrrha to the dance," Ruby said. Jaune didn't say anything, but Weiss looked at Ruby with a look of admiration and annoyance.

"Uh, okay," Jaune said, "And that's it?"

"That's it," Ruby said. Jaune left and Weiss gave Ruby a look. "What?"

"You let him off way too easily," Weiss said huffily. Ruby giggled, and Weiss glared at her. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Ruby said, "you just get really adorable when you get annoyed." Weiss frowned, but Ruby just kept smiling and Weiss felt her face rearrange into a smile in response.

"You," Weiss said, leaning forward and climbing almost on top of Ruby, "are making it very hard for me to be annoyed with you."

"That's good," Ruby said, leaning forward and closing her eyes, "I don't like it when you're annoyed with me." Their lips touched, and Ruby pulled Weiss into a passionate kiss, falling back onto the bed. After a few minutes of kissing, they broke apart, Ruby's arms firmly wrapped around Weiss. "We should probably finish the homework, huh?"

"We can finish it tomorrow," Weiss said, leaning in for another kiss. Before they could, there was a squeal of delight from across the hall.

"Sounds like Jaune asked Pyrrha to the dance," Ruby observed.

"I don't know what she sees in him," Weiss said. Seeing as homework was no longer a priority, the two of them decided that it would probably be a good time to get some sleep. So Weiss carefully packed away their books, and when she turned around, Ruby had already fallen asleep on Weiss' bed.

"Oh, what am I going to do with you?" Weiss asked out loud. Shaking her head, Weiss carefully pulled the covers from underneath Ruby and delicately climbed into bed, pulling the covers over the two of them. It probably would have made more sense for Weiss to wake Ruby, but she couldn't bear to disturb her. So, Weiss gently kissed Ruby's forehead and closed her eyes, drifting almost immediately to sleep.

Unbeknownst to Weiss, Ruby grinned to herself, her eyes still closed. Mission accomplished.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

"Ow," Ruby grumbled, landing on her butt for the umpteenth time that week. Her feet were sore, she felt dizzy and wanted nothing else but to curl up and go to sleep. But that wouldn't get anything done, so she picked herself up again, wobbling on her heels.

"You've almost got it," Yang said encouragingly, watching as Ruby attempted again to walk in heels. Every day after class for the whole week, Ruby would find somewhere to practice walking and dancing for the end of the week. Blake and Yang had taken up teaching her instead of Weiss, so that Ruby could surprise and impress her.

It was not going well.

"You've said that every time," Ruby said, annoyed. Her arms were held out to help her balance, and she kept trying to walk in a straight line. But it was very hard to do balancing on her thin heels. Seriously, how did Weiss fight in these?

"Well, you're not falling over straight away anymore," Yang said sheepishly, playing with her hair nervously, "there's a plus, right?" Blake shook her head, smiling. It was a little entertaining, watching this go on. But it was the determination Ruby was showing that really impressed her. She must really love Weiss to put this much effort into something she was not comfortable with.

"I guess," Ruby said, wobbling slightly less. This week, barring Jaune's episode, had been amazing. The biggest change was the way Weiss behaved. Being with Ruby had made her more…mellow. She was still a bit icy with most people. Especially Jaune. But just in general, Weiss was less dismissive and a bit more out of her shell. Even her organisation of the dance was less dictatorial than everyone expected. The only time she asserted herself in her usual manner was when she very vehemently told Yang that if "I can't have doilies, you can't have smoke machines!"

After a brilliant week of affection, now Ruby was nervous. Her first date was tomorrow, and her first dance the day after. That she would be dancing in. With Weiss. Nerves were sending Ruby's insecurities about herself into overdrive. Which was currently translating itself into making it very difficult to walk in heels.

"Ruby," Yang said, watching her sister wobble and catch herself before she fell over again. "You need to relax."

"How can I relax?" Ruby exclaimed, still having some balance issues as she gestured wildly, "My first date ever is tomorrow, and I need to know how to walk in heels AND how to dance in the next 48 hours so I can impress my very rich, very beautiful girlfriend. Who, right at this moment, is probably doing something amazing while I'm standing here panicking!" Ruby gestured a bit too wildly and almost fell over again, but she managed to regain her balance with some quick waves of her arms and a very sudden stop.

Yang shook her head, smiling. Ruby was growing up if she was worrying about stuff like this. "You're worrying too much, Ruby. Weiss doesn't need you to impress her. In fact, she's probably sitting somewhere, daydreaming about you. So stop panicking and relax." Ruby took a deep breath, and went right back to practicing.

****

Weiss was not daydreaming about Ruby. Nor was she doing something amazing. She was currently banging her head softly against the wood of the table she was at. Weiss was in the library, her scroll to her side and an open newspaper in front of her.

Weiss had been calling different restaurants in Vale for most of the day, trying to find a place for her and Ruby to have a nice dinner. Ruby didn't want fancy, so Weiss' date plan was a very simple, hopefully intimate dinner, maybe followed by a walk…or something. Weiss had no idea what she was supposed to do. If Weiss was expected to follow 'tradition', she wouldn't be planning a date. That was what suitors did. Not that Weiss had many suitors. Well, besides Jaune and Neptune. But she was Ruby's suitor, if Weiss was honest with herself. So that meant she had to plan the date. Which was not going very well. No restaurant in Vale had an open reservation. Dropping her family name didn't do much except make them drive up the price in the hopes she'd flash her family's money.

Ruby wouldn't like that, so Weiss just hung up the second they tried. Loving Ruby was very frustrating. It made Weiss' heart leap in her chest and kept a smile on her face, but it was frustrating. Ruby was always so happy, it could be exhausting just trying to keep up with her. But Ruby had done her best to keep calmer around Weiss, occasional enthusiastic outburst aside.

"Something wrong, Weiss?" a voice asked, and Weiss looked up to see Pyrrha and Jaune approach her. Weiss glared at Jaune who, to his credit, took it good naturedly. "You seem…annoyed."

"That's because I am," Weiss said simply, before burying her face in her hands. Pyrrha and Jaune sat down, looking concerned. "Every restaurant in Vale is booked. All I wanted to do was take Ruby to a nice dinner but apparently the universe has decided that's impossible."

"Why not just have a nice dinner here?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha shook her head and hid her smile. Jaune meant well, but he didn't understand.

"If you were anyone else," Weiss said scoldingly, "I wouldn't even respond to an idea that dumb. As it happens, I don't exactly know how to cook and I doubt Glynda would let me use the kitchens anyway." Weiss then resumed banging her head against the table, leaving Jaune and Pyrrha to exchange a look. The seeds of a plan started to sprout in Jaune's brain.

"Well," Jaune said, frowning as he thought, "Ren can cook." Weiss looked up again, her expression curious. "I mean, you want to do something special and Ruby's not a fancy restaurant sort of person. So, to make up for my being an idiot, why don't you let us organise something for the two of you?"

Pyrrha gave Jaune a look of total endearment and approval. Weiss just stared. Leaving something like this to someone else was almost too much of a gamble. But Jaune was just one person, surrounded by…slightly more competent teammates. Weiss weighed her options and found herself wanting for another plan.

"Alright, Jaune," Weiss said, sitting up and folding the newspaper. "I will let you organise mine and Ruby's date. But if everything is not perfect, I will be very unhappy."

"You won't regret it, I promise," Jaune said, and Weiss walked off, picking up her scroll as she left. Jaune sighed once she was out of earshot.

"That was a very nice thing you just did, Jaune," Pyrrha said, "But what exactly do you have in mind?"

"Only the absolute best date idea," Jaune said, a big smile on his face, "With knowledge gleaned from having seven sisters and only one TV."

****

Weiss ended up back at the room, working on some homework. As she read the latest reading set by Professor Oobleck, Weiss absently doodled in her notebook. It wasn't until her eyes started to hurt that Weiss actually took notice of the fact that she'd drawn a rose and sketched a pair of names along the stem. _Weiss Rose. Ruby Schnee._ Weiss stared at the names. She had never done THAT before. That was such a schoolgirl thing to do. Weiss never daydreamed that way about anyone since…well, ever.

But now that she had, Weiss had to admit that they both sounded pretty good. But that was way too far in the future to think about now. Weiss tore the page out of her notebook and hid it inside the desk. No need for anyone to find it, not just yet.

There was a knock on the door, but before Weiss could get to it, an envelope slid under the door. Weiss looked at the envelope and went to open it before Ruby, Blake and Yang came back. "There you all are," Weiss said, smiling, "How'd you go?"

"Ruby's getting better," Yang said as she flopped onto her bed. That didn't necessarily answer Weiss' question. Blake crawled into bed and lay down with one of her books. Ruby groaned and fell over onto Weiss' bed, too exhausted to climb onto hers. Weiss shook her head as she sat down next to her. Ruby moved her head to Weiss' lap, and Weiss stroked Ruby's cheek.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, concerned. "You look exhausted."

"I hate heels," Ruby said, exhausted, snuggling into Weiss like a cat. Ruby groaned again, and Weiss started playing with her hair. Ruby hummed contentedly, her body relaxing. Fairly soon, Ruby was asleep and Weiss looked down on her fondly.

"You really love her, don't you?" Yang asked. Weiss looked up, surprised. "It's written all over your face."

Weiss looked back down at Ruby, now sleeping soundly. "Yeah," Weiss said, "Yeah I do."

"Have you told her yet?"

"No, not yet," Weiss said, extricating herself from Ruby, who made a sort of sighing noise as she did. Weiss looked out the window. The sun was setting, setting the sky ablaze with colour. The moon was visible, half solid and half broken. "It's only been a week tomorrow."

"So?" Yang asked. "You've already shared a bed and it's been a week."

"That was an entirely different situation," Weiss said, getting annoyed. "I plan on telling her, it's just not the right time yet." Before Yang could continue pushing, Blake intervened.

"That's a good thing," Blake said, solemnly, "Those words aren't ones spoken lightly."

"Thank you, Blake," Weiss said, breathing a sigh of relief. It was then that she remembered the envelope still clenched in her hand. Weiss opened it, prompting curiosity from Yang.

"What's that?" Yang asked, sitting up on her bed.

"It came under the door just before you guys came back," Weiss said, pulling out the folded piece of paper. "It's from Jaune."

"He's passing love notes now?" Yang asked, concerned. Weiss shook her head, reading the note.

"Every restaurant in Vale is booked," Weiss explained, making sure Ruby was asleep, "So Jaune and Pyrrha are setting something up for us. This is the plan for tomorrow." Weiss' eyes widened as she read. Weiss very quietly informed Yang and Blake what was in the note.

"Wow," Yang said, impressed, "I did not think Jaune had it in him."

"Neither did I," Weiss said, awed. It was amazing to think how quickly Jaune could work. "I still don't like him, though."

"No one expects you to, Ice Queen," Yang said, yawning. Weiss had to concede that.

Ruby woke up, stretching like a cat. Blinking, she looked around. Only Blake was in the room with her: Weiss and Yang must be at breakfast.

"Afternoon," Blake said, sitting at the desk, sketching away in a notebook, "Sleep well?" It was afternoon? Ruby must've been more tired than she thought.

"Yeah," Ruby said, sitting up and wincing when her feet touched the ground. Heels were not worth having an extra few inches of height. "Where is everyone?"

"Making sure everything is ready for the dance tomorrow," Blake said, "Yang said she'd be back to help you get ready for your date later."

"Oh, good," Ruby said, slightly disheartened.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked, looking up from her sketching.

"Yang has a tendency to…"

"Overdo it?" Blake asked, a small smile on her face. Ruby nodded in agreement and made to stand up, but the pain in her feet made sure that was not happening any time soon.

Ruby groaned as she flopped back onto Weiss' bed.

"You know," Blake said, seeing Ruby's discomfort, "You could just not wear heels to the dance. I'm sure Weiss will understand."

"Yeah," Ruby said, sighing. Ruby didn't expand on that, so Blake didn't push. Inside Ruby's head, however, everything was spiralling. What would Weiss think if Ruby gave up on this? No, not an option. Ruby forced herself back onto her feet, grabbing her heels and walking out of the room. There was practice to be done.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

"This is going to be amazing," Nora said, as she hung drapes over the walls of the classroom. Nora, Jaune and Pyrrha were decorating one of the smaller classrooms for Ruby and Weiss' date. They'd made the room as romantic as possible with what they had, with red and white drapes, a round table with a swiped table cloth from the dance hall. Weiss had probably noticed by now, so they had to keep Weiss from this room until the date.

Jaune was busy rifling through a big burlap sack, handing things to Pyrrha and Nora. The things he had in the sack were pretty much everything one could want for a low key, romantic evening.

"Where did you get all this stuff?" Pyrrha asked as Jaune handed her a candlestick and some candles.

"A friend of the family owns a restaurant in Vale," Jaune said, "He owed me a favour, so he let me borrow this stuff from his restaurant."

"Couldn't you have tried to get Weiss and Ruby into his restaurant?" Nora asked, incredulous that Jaune had a connection to someone.

"Nah, he was full," Jaune said, "And he wasn't going to turn someone else out for me. This was a better idea anyway."

"Well," Nora said, "Look at you, rocking the connections. Should use that for yours and Pyrrha's first date." Oblivious to Pyrrha's blush and Jaune's confused look, Nora continued to decorate. Nora may not be the subtlest person, but when she wanted to, she could push things in the right direction.

Pyrrha chanced a look at Jaune, who was still digging things out of the sack. Jaune had been Pyrrha's first real friend at Beacon. But there had been a moment, early in their days at Beacon, where she had seen Jaune get bullied by Cardin that uncharacteristic rage had built up in her. But she had channelled it and wanted to train Jaune to be a better fighter, so that he could defend himself better.

It was after that, while they were training, in the middle of an intense sword block, that Pyrrha realised her feelings for Jaune weren't that of a friend. They were something more, something that she wasn't familiar with. It took too long to realise that she was in love with Jaune. But Jaune was in love with Weiss. So Pyrrha kept her mouth shut and made sure she was the best friend and partner she could be. But her heart ached for Jaune, no matter what she tried. But now, with Weiss and Ruby together, maybe they had a chance. Jaune had asked her to the dance, after all.

Jaune, while digging through the sack, was having similar thoughts. It was part of his deal with Ruby that he asked Pyrrha to the dance. But Pyrrha didn't have to say yes, and technically Jaune didn't have to take her. All he had to do was ask. But now…Now Jaune was having thoughts about Pyrrha like he had about Weiss. Jaune had tried everything in the book to try and get Weiss to go on a date with him, but they had never worked. But maybe…no. Pyrrha was like Weiss, in a way. Rich, strong, beautiful. They were enough alike that Jaune knew that no pick-up line would ever work.

"Hey, Pyrrha," Jaune said casually, looking up at her. Pyrrha looked back at Jaune, confused.

"Yes, Jaune?" she asked. Nora smiled to herself as she kept decorating.

"After the dance tomorrow," Jaune said carefully, trying to find the right words to say, "I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat. Maybe catch a movie in Vale?"

"I'd like that," Pyrrha said quietly, smiling. Jaune smiled back, and Nora had to contain her excitement. That was two couples sorted out of her friends. Maybe now, she and Ren had a future. Maybe not, but it wouldn't be from a lack of romance in the air.

****

Weiss and Yang were finishing the final set up for the dance tomorrow. There would have to be a final check-up tomorrow, but now there was a few more things that needed to be set up. Mostly speakers and Yang's low key smoke machines. Weiss was keeping herself busy, almost too busy.

"Okay, are you sure the smoke machines aren't going to fill up the hall?" Weiss asked Yang.

"Yes," Yang said emphatically, "No one is going to complain about the smoke machines. Are you alright? You've been extra uptight today."

"I'm fine," Weiss said haughtily, before taking a deep breath and looking at Yang. "I'm just nervous about tonight, that's all."

"You don't have to be," Yang said encouragingly, "Though now you mention it, what does Ruby have to wear? Are you guys going casual or formal?" Yang wanted to ask about a dozen more questions, but if she did, Ruby would probably get mad.

"Actually, I was hoping Ruby would wear one of the dresses I bought her last week," Weiss said, "It's a red and white one. It should still be in the box it came in. And she HAS to wear her hood with it. It looks amazing when she does." Yang smiled as she saw Weiss' face light up with a smile.

"Okay, noted," Yang said. Ruby had kept this quiet. But then again, Ruby wasn't one to talk about private things. Not really, anyway.

"You will help her get ready, right?" Weiss asked. "I know she's going to be more nervous than I am, and I don't want her panicking about what to wear or how she looks."

"Don't worry," Yang said, patting Weiss on the shoulder, "I'll make sure she's ready. All you have to do is take her out, have a nice dinner and bring her back. Unharmed." Yang dropped into protective big sister mode for a second. "And flowers. You have to give her flowers."

"Anything else?" Weiss asked, a little annoyed and relieved that Yang was giving her ideas on what to do.

Yang thought about it for a second, hands on her hips. "No, just the flowers. Just remember to compliment her on how she looks. Ruby's been feeling a little self-conscious lately."

Weiss nodded, and they continued to do their work. The dance was pretty important. But to Weiss, the only really important thing about this was going to be dancing with Ruby. Everything else was superfluous.

****

"Ow, ow, ow," Ruby said, lowering her feet into a big bowl of warm water. "That's better," she said, sighing with relief as the warm water sapped the pain from them. "How do people walk in heels ALL day?"

"Practice," Blake said, curled up on her bed and reading one of her many books.

"Bah," Ruby said, waving a hand, "I can't wait to wear my boots again. Or just flats."

Before any more conversation could happen, Yang burst in the door with a big mirror in tow. Hanging off her shoulder, a big metal case. On her face, the widest grin. Ruby wasn't a fearful person: she'd taken entire packs of Beowulves by herself. She'd decapitated a giant Nevermore, with the help of her team, during their entrance exam. Not even the stuff involving Torchwick and the White Fang had scared her that much. But that grin on Yang's face made her go cold, even with the warm water soaking her feet.

Yang plonked the mirror down in front of Ruby, before placing the metal case down and opening it, revealing several different types of make-up and general beauty products. Ruby didn't recognise it, so it must be new. Yang's case of make-up was nowhere near that extensive.

"Yang," Ruby said slowly, "What are you doing?"

"Your date is in two hours," Yang said, pulling out random products out of the make-up kit. "And it's time for you to get ready. Where's the dress Weiss bought you?"

"Uh," Ruby said, "I think we put it under Weiss' bed." Yang nodded and, in what Blake could only describe as a small hurricane, Yang began to work. While Ruby sat there, generally looking terrified, Yang started layering her hair. Blake watched as the minutes trickled by and Yang slowly but surely made Ruby made the transformation from simply pretty to stunningly beautiful. After her hair was finished, Yang let Ruby change into her dress, a slinky red and white number with no back but fairly well covered. After that, Yang was very careful in applying make-up, only using enough to highlight Ruby's beauty without smothering her. Light blush, some dark red lipstick and some eyeshadow were enough to do that. Yang brought out a pair of dark red (thankfully) flat shoes for her to wear.

"Wow," Ruby said as she saw her reflection in the mirror, fully dressed and made up, "How did you do that?" Ruby had never seen herself as looking that good.

"I didn't do anything," Yang said as she started to pack up her gear, "Except paint some stuff on your face. This," Yang leant down, her face next to Ruby, "This is all you."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "And that," Yang said, standing up and walking to the door, "Will be Weiss."

"Why is she knocking?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow, "She lives here." Yang opened the door and revealed Weiss. Ruby gasped. Weiss had moved her ponytail so it hung at the back of her head, and several ornamental sticks stuck out of her hair. Her normal jacket hung around her shoulders, covering a fairly revealing white dress, her red sash wrapped around her waist. A bouquet of roses was in her hands, a nervous smile on her face.

"Weiss, come in," Yang said, graciously stepping out the way and letting Weiss enter her own room. Weiss stepped in, her heels sinking into the carpet a little. Ruby unconsciously tried to smooth out her dress. Weiss walked over to Ruby and kissed her cheek, before handing her the roses.

"These are for you," Weiss said as Ruby took them, "Professor Peach recommended them."

"They're beautiful," Ruby said, before returning the kiss. "I love them, thank you." Weiss and Ruby stared at each other for a moment, before they both realised what they were doing and giggled nervously. "Uh, shall we go?"

"Yes," Weiss said, offering her arm to Ruby, who took it and smiled. "Jaune says dinner's going to be ready soon."

"Well, here's hoping Ren's better at cooking than he looks," Ruby said, and Weiss giggled as they left the room.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Yang called out after them as they walked through the hall. Just then, Yang realised she'd forgotten something and quickly grabbed Ruby's hood and tore off down the hall, catching them up. "I completely forgot about this," Yang said as she draped the hood over Ruby's shoulders. "There, now you're ready."

"Perfect," Weiss said quietly, and Ruby blushed bright red. Yang said goodbye and headed back to the room, leaving the couple off to their first date.

"That was almost a disaster," Yang said as she flopped onto her bed.

"I'm sure you're overreacting," Blake said, turning a page in her book. "They're going to be fine."

"Yeah," Yang said, "Hey, who's taking you to the dance? Did Sun ask yet?"

"No," Blake said, annoyed, "He's been busy exploring Vale with Neptune. Since we took out Torchwick, he hasn't had much time for me."

"What, you think he was only interested in you for the crime fighting?" Yang asked. Blake was quiet for a while, so Yang tried to keep the conversation going. "I'm sure he's just excited to be in a new kingdom. Give him time and he'll come around."

"Maybe," Blake said bitterly, "Still leaves me dateless for tomorrow."

"No, it doesn't," Yang said, "I'll take you. Unless you don't want to go. That's cool too."

"No, I'll go with you," Blake said, frowning, "But why me?"

"Why not?" Yang replied, "Besides, the only boys that aren't afraid of me are Ren and Jaune, and Nora and Pyrrha have called dibs on them."

"Nora likes Ren?" Blake asked, leaning over the edge of the bed, book forgotten.

"Yeah," Yang said, "Pyrrha told me Nora's had a crush on Ren for years, since they were kids."

"How has he not noticed?" Blake asked, eager to know more. The two of them gossiped for a while, before they both decided they were tired and went to bed.

Neither of them were awake to pester Weiss and Ruby about how their date went.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

"So," Ruby said as she and Weiss walked through the hallways of Beacon, "How are the dance preparations coming along?"

"Oh, they're all done," Weiss said, waving her free hand. "Everything is set for tomorrow night, thankfully. I'll finally be able to relax. What about you? What have you been doing today?"

"Nothing much, really," Ruby replied, looking around. The halls of Beacon seemed to be extra empty tonight. "I was just practicing walking in heels again. I don't fall over now, but my feet are killing me."

"Oh, I know that feeling," Weiss said, laughing a little, "I remember when I was first learning. My feet didn't stop hurting for weeks."

"How old were you when you started learning?" Ruby asked. Weiss never really talked about her life before Beacon. It was a welcome change in her, being open like this.

"About…seven, I think," Weiss said, and Ruby blanched.

"Seven?" Ruby asked, incredulous, "Why would you need to learn to walk in heels at seven?"

"My father insisted on it," Weiss said, her face going a bit dark, "So I could appear at parties and look like I belonged there." Weiss stopped talking at that point, and Ruby didn't pry any further. They walked in silence for a few minutes, long before they finally arrived at one of the smaller classrooms on campus.

"Is this it?" Ruby asked Weiss as she looked at the door. She'd never been in one of these classrooms. It was mainly the older students that got to use these classrooms. Ruby wasn't sure what Weiss had planned

"It should be," Weiss said, pulling a piece of paper out of her jacket, "Yep, this is it."

"Do we go in?" Ruby asked. "Or are we waiting for an escort?" As if in answer to that, the door opened and Jaune appeared, wearing a very nice suit that almost looked too new for him. A big smile was plastered on his face, and Weiss and Ruby were a little concerned that he was a bit too happy to see them.

"Good evening, milady," he said, bowing at Weiss, "Milady." He bowed at Ruby, before offering his arm. "May I take your coat…and hood?" Weiss and Ruby stood still for a second, both of them weirded out by this cheerful, slightly smarmy Jaune. Then, they handed over their coat and hood, and Jaune draped them both over his arm before standing out of the way and bowing them inside.

Weiss and Ruby were blown away by what JNPR had accomplished. Red and white drapes hung over the entire classroom, which was only lit by the candlelight emanating from a small circular table covered with one of Weiss' tablecloths from the dance hall. Plates and cutlery were already placed on the table. An empty vase was waiting for Ruby's bouquet.

"How did you get all of this?" Weiss asked, turning to Jaune, who had somehow disappeared from sight. Weiss and Ruby looked around and just as suddenly, Jaune reappeared with Pyrrha to escort them to their table. Pyrrha gently took the bouquet of roses and placed them inside the vase while Jaune very gentlemanly helped both Ruby and Weiss into their chairs. Once they were seated, romantic violin music began to play softly from…somewhere, filling the room with sound. Weiss was impressed with what JNPR had done, and Ruby was almost crying with happiness from how beautiful everything was.

"Dinner will be brought out in…" Jaune looked at Pyrrha who held up a hand, "Five minutes. Until then, we bid you adieu." Jaune and Pyrrha walked away, leaving Weiss and Ruby alone.

"Oh, wow," Ruby said, putting her hands over her mouth, "This is amazing. How did you put all this together?"

"I didn't," Weiss admitted, "I was so stuck for ideas on what to do that Jane offered to plan it all."

"Really?" Ruby asked, surprised. "And you let him? I mean, this is amazing, but I thought you didn't like Jaune that much."

"I don't," Weiss said, taking one of Ruby's hands in her own, "But I do like you, and I want tonight to be perfect. I'm not so proud that I won't admit I was a little out of my depth in this."

"Well, you've done very nicely," Ruby said, leaning forward and kissing Weiss softly, "I love this." Weiss smiled widely, kissing Ruby back. The two shared a longer, passionate kiss. Weiss was suddenly seized by a plan, as well as a fierce desire to pull Ruby close and never let go. Ruby had a similar reaction, her hand going behind Weiss' head and holding firm while her other hand rested on Weiss' waist. Weiss placed a hand on the small of Ruby's back, her other hand dropping to Ruby's thigh. Ruby's body shuddered under Weiss' touch as Weiss' hand slowly moved from the clothed part of Ruby's leg and to the bare skin of it.

Suddenly, it was like their brains kicked back into gear and they broke apart, Weiss' hand leaving Ruby's thigh. Both of them were breathing a little heavily, faces still slightly touching.

"What was that?" Ruby asked, confused as to the reactions of her body.

"I don't know," Weiss said, reaching up to stroke Ruby's cheek, "But I kinda liked it."

"Me too," Ruby said, kissing Weiss again. This time didn't get too heated, as Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren came in and interrupted them with the best smelling food either of them had smelled in a long time. Two separate plates of steaming…chicken, Weiss thought, with vegetables, prepared in such a way that it looked like a professional had done it. Ren had been holding out on everyone.

"I hope you enjoy the meal," Ren said, hands behind his back as the food was placed in front of Ruby and Weiss. "Dessert will be served in an hour." With that, JNPR left, leaving the couple to their meal. Ruby was the first to try a bite of it, and her mouth exploded with flavour. Ren had been holding out on everyone if he could cook this well.

"Oh, my god," Ruby said through a full mouth, before swallowing her mouthful, "This is amazing! Here, try some," before Weiss had a chance to respond, Ruby had cut a piece of chicken up and held up to Weiss. Weiss hesitated, but bit the piece of chicken off of Ruby's fork, and had a similar reaction. Weiss' eyes widened and she made a pleased sort of noise.

"I've never had food this good," Weiss said, losing her propriety for a moment and talking with her mouthful, "Not even in Atlas." The couple dug in to the meal, and before long it was finished.

"Man, Ren missed his calling," Ruby said, patting her belly. "He should've been a chef."

"I can't wait to try his dessert," Weiss said, smiling, "I haven't had a meal that good in ages."

"Not since Atlas, right?" Ruby asked. "What's it like there? You never really talk about it."

Weiss hesitated for a second, her defences on the rise before her brain processed what Ruby was asking. Ruby wasn't asking about her family, she was asking about Atlas. Like Weiss had asked about Patch, back in that café.

"It's…cold," Weiss started, thinking carefully about what she wanted to say about it, "Being so far north, it's all ice. Almost no green, except what you can find in the greenhouses."

"Isn't Atlas under control of their military?" Ruby asked, wanting to keep Weiss talking. Even though they were together, Ruby still did most of the talking. She wanted Weiss to open up more, but Ruby wasn't going to force her.

"No, not like that," Weiss said, shaking her head, "It's different than Vale. The military, the Atlas Academy and the government are all one unit. They're not separate like it is here. That's one thing I can't get used to here: everything's so…different."

"How?" Ruby asked, "I mean, apart from the military thing."

"The people here are so…friendly," Weiss said, "In Atlas, at least where I grew up, the people are standoffish, rude and completely insufferable. But no one _acts_ like that: they all smile and shake your hand and say nice things to your face and then say what they really think behind your back. Not like here, where people are genuinely friendly and nice."

"Well, at least I know why you were so crabby when we first met," Ruby said, smiling and poking Weiss in the shoulder so she knew that Ruby was joking. Weiss faked indignation for a second, before shaking her head and smiling.

"I only just realised I never apologised for being so rude to you," Weiss said, taking Ruby's hand in her own. They did that a lot, almost afraid to let go. Almost as if they'd drift too far apart if they weren't connected.

"You don't have to apologise," Ruby said, adoration on her face, "I get it. I'm just glad we got past it."

"Me too," Weiss said, kissing Ruby again. "So," Weiss said, after the kiss broke off, "Something I've been wondering: why a scythe?"

"That's a weird curveball in the conversation," Ruby said, "Why so curious?"

"It's just," Weiss tried to phrase her words properly, "It seems…strange to me that you'd pick such a large weapon. I'm not arguing with the results, I was just wondering about it."

"Well, it's because of my Uncle Qrow," Ruby explained, "He was my main teacher at Signal, and when he took me under his wing I wanted to be just like him. So I built Crescent Rose, all on my own. His is much cooler though."

"I find that hard to believe," Weiss said, and Ruby blushed a little. Before the conversation could resume, Ren appeared, holding a plate with a very decorative cake placed on it. Weiss' eyes lit up: it was an Atlesian pudding, one of her favourites. It seemed unlikely Ren got lucky.

"Here you go," Ren said, retrieving their plates and setting the cake down, "One Atlesian dessert. I hope you like it, Jaune said it's your favourite."

"How did Jaune know?" Ruby asked, eyes shining at the dessert. If there was one thing she liked, it was dessert food.

"Some interview Weiss gave when she was touring Atlas," Ren said, "I hope you enjoy."

"Ren," Weiss said, getting his attention, "Thank you for this. We really appreciate it."

"More than happy to help," Ren said, as inscrutable as ever. Then he left, and the couple was alone again. Weiss used a dessert fork to carve off a piece of cake and offered it to Ruby, who gobbled it up with almost no pause in movement. The cake was so sweet, Ruby's head felt like it was going to spin around. They devoured the cake, and found themselves competing for the last morsel. Weiss and Ruby were giggling like children as they duelled with their forks over the last piece of cake before Ruby got to it. Before Weiss could protest, Ruby had cut it in half before claiming her part of it. Weiss was surprised when Ruby scooped up the other half and offered it to Weiss. Weiss smiled as she ate it, savouring it as long as she could.

"Well, now that that's over," Ruby said, wiping her mouth gently with a napkin, "What did Ren mean when he said you toured Atlas?"

"Oh," Weiss was surprised: she was sure that some of her music had made it to Vale. But then, Ruby didn't seem like a huge music fan. "I was a singer when I was younger. My father insisted that I tour Atlas to 'spread the tenderness of the Schnee family'. Mostly he just wanted another source of revenue."

"You sing?" Ruby asked, "I never knew. Can you…no, never mind."

"What?" Weiss asked. "What were you going to ask?"

"I was just going to ask if you could sing something for me," Ruby said, a little embarrassed, "But I thought it might be a bit rude."

Weiss shook her head, before thinking about what she could sing. Maybe her song, with a couple of modifications…

" _Mirror, mirror,"_ Weiss sang softly, cupping Ruby's cheek and looking deep into those silver eyes, _"Tell me something. Tell me who's the loveliest of all? You're the loveliest of all…"_

Ruby was almost crying from how beautiful the song was. They shared another kiss, and all Ruby could think about was how much she enjoyed this dating thing.

"We have to do this again," Ruby said, "But maybe next time," Ruby jerked her head towards the door, "We could do without the audience." For the first time, Weiss noticed JNPR, minus Ren who probably found the whole thing a bit unseemly, were secretly watching everything that was going on. 

"Think you can speed us away?" Weiss asked Ruby.

"Where to?"

"Maybe where we first met?" Weiss said casually, "I want to see if you can still make out the crater you left."

Ruby grinned like a cat, and in a burst of speed, Weiss was caught up in a burst of rose petals and Ruby sped them out of the classroom and right past JNPR, who fell over in a heap as they went by.

****

"And that's when I jumped onto the roof," Ruby was saying as they walked back to their room, "And ran after him. He tried to blow me up with a Dust crystal and that's when Glynda showed up and saved my butt."

"What happened then?" Weiss asked. They had started talking about when they had first gotten to Beacon and Ruby had started talking about how she got into Beacon in the first place.

"Glynda took me to the police station, and I met Professor Ozpin. I'm still not sure why he let me into the school."

"Well," Weiss said, gripping Ruby's hand tightly, "I'm glad he did. Otherwise I might have never met you."

"Well," Ruby said, blushing. "Maybe we would have still met up, somehow."

"Maybe," Weiss said, "But I'm glad it's now."

"Yeah," Ruby said, looking at Weiss with love in her eyes. "So am I."

Ruby wasn't so worried about the dance anymore. If this was how much fun a date could be, a dance had to be just as much fun. Hopefully.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey all, how've you been. It has been a while since I've last updated. But I haven't been in the right headspace, life has gotten in the way, blah blah blah insert excuse here. I am going to do my absolute best to get you guys more content, but considering this is a hobby of mine and not my day job, sometimes waiting is the price we pay. I've taken a change from my normal writing process with this story: where I would normally write five or so chapters at a time and then upload them in one big group, I'm gonna upload this now, the next chapter hopefully inside the next week (I'm going to carry around a notebook at work so I can work on my rough drafts during lunch breaks) and then go back to the original plan once I move on to the next arc.

Yes, this is the penultimate chapter of the first arc of my story. The next chapter, for those who want it, will mainly deal with the other main pairings of the series. For those paying attention to the not so subtle hints, that means Arkos and Bumblebee stuff! YAY! *confetti* And maybe some...(one quick Google search later) Flower Power or (my preferred name because OMG does it sound adorable) Boop, depending on your preference.

Anyway, you've heard enough of my ramblings, on with the chapter (This took me over eighteen hours to write, so please be gentle in any scathing review you may have.)

* * *

Chapter Eleven:

That feeling did not last. All day, Ruby felt nothing but nervousness and had spent the day on her own. But she didn't really know why she felt nervous. Everything was fine: she had practiced walking in heels so she wasn't about to break an ankle walking around. Dancing was probably going to be a pain, but with Weiss taking the lead, Ruby felt she could muddle through. Ruby moved through the mental checklist of all the things she was worried about, and found that they were only in her head. Ruby had dealt with most of them, and the ones she hadn't weren't worth worrying about.

"So why am I still so nervous!?" Ruby exclaimed, semblancing herself onto her bed and hanging upside down from the side. Ruby was alone in her room: the others had all gotten ready and left for the party while Ruby was busy hiding with her nervousness. This was so infuriating. When she was with Weiss, Ruby felt nothing but love and contentment. On her own, it was like she'd been mauled…no, like she was _being_ mauled by an Ursa. It was agony, with every bad thought nesting inside her mind. But this

Normally, whenever Ruby felt this bad, she would go and talk to her mother. But that was in Patch, where her mother's memorial sat on the cliffs near her home. While it was only a fairly short Bullhead trip home, right now it felt a world away. Ruby felt that she couldn't confide in anyone: Blake would offer some small words of encouragement, Yang would start being overprotective and Weiss…Weiss would be understanding. If Ruby told her she was still nervous, Weiss would just not go. They would sit here, together, Weiss doing her best to make Ruby happy and if Ruby was happy, Weiss would be happy. But Ruby had promised that she would go to the dance.

"It's my turn," Ruby said, checking the time. The dance would have started by now. "My turn to make you happy, Weiss." Ruby climbed to the ground and went under Weiss's bed, retrieving the box containing the second dress Weiss had brought her. Ruby didn't have long to get ready.

* * *

Yang was set up by the entrance to Beacon's ballroom, tapping the side of a podium, wearing a white party dress that showed off her very nice figure, if she did say so herself. Yang was never one for lack of confidence, but ostentatious dresses weren't really her thing. Stylish dresses, yeah, but Yang had seen some of the outfits some of the girls were wearing and it just felt way too flashy.

Weiss had put Yang in charge of greeting everyone, mostly because Yang was such a cheerful people person. But the main reason was so that Yang could see Ruby first. Ruby's nervousness hadn't gone unnoticed by her teammates, but Weiss knew that Yang could calm her down if she freaked out when she arrived. That, and Weiss wanted Ruby's outfit to be a surprise.

"Come on, Ruby," Yang said, drumming her fingers impatiently, "Where are you?" Everyone else with their names down had already arrived. Ruby was the only one left. Yang briefly considered going to find her little sister, but that would take time. Beacon was a big place, and Yang didn't want to miss Ruby. She'd turn up.

"Ruby hasn't shown up yet?" Yang turned to see Blake, dressed in a form fitting black dress and looking concerned. Yang shook her head, frowning. Blake walked up and put a hand on Yang's arm. "Do you think she's gotten cold feet?"

"I don't know," Yang admitted, "I hope not. Weiss has been looking forward to this all week." Yang sighed and looked out towards the entrance. Blake saw the look on Yang's face; worry for Ruby. It was an expression Blake had seen before, and not one she enjoyed seeing on Yang's normally cheerful face.

"Ruby will be here," Blake said, slipping her hand into Yang's, entwining her fingers and squeezing lightly. Yang returned the pressure, but before she or Blake said anything, Ruby came through the doors. Wearing a modest red dress and balanced delicately on red heels, Yang almost didn't recognise her. It wasn't until Ruby stumbled a little that Yang was sure it was her sister and not a clone or illusion.

"You look great, Ruby," Blake said, letting go of Yang. Ruby smiled as she walked up to her sister.

"I know I've said this a lot this week," Ruby said, looking Yang almost square in the eye (heels were good for something then) "But can we PLEASE talk about how Weiss fights in these?"

Yang said nothing as she walked over to Ruby and pulled her into a tight hug. Ruby returned the hug, smiling. "You look so grown up." Yang said quietly, so only Ruby could hear. "Mom would be so proud of you."

"You think so?" Ruby asked softly. With that simple sentence, a lot of Ruby's anxiety about tonight melted away.

"Yeah, because I am." Yang took a step back and really looked at her sister. Ruby had come a long way since they started at Beacon. That Ruby would have taken a lot more convincing to come to any party. Ruby looked behind Yang, towards the party. Yang knew exactly who Ruby was looking for.

"Weiss is busy mingling," Yang told her, "I think I saw her by one of the flower arrangements. You'd better get down there. I think you owe her a dance." Ruby nodded, her face settling into a determined expression, and she made her way down. Yang watched her baby sister walk confidently into the crowd of people. Yang beamed. That was her Ruby, always bouncing back.

"Shall we head down?" Blake asked, arms crossed and smiling a sly smile. Yang smiled back and offered her arm. Blake took it, and the two headed down. Tonight was going to be a good night, Yang could feel it.

* * *

Weiss, wearing the white strapless dress that she had bought last week with Ruby (and more importantly, her father wouldn't approve of), was moving through the crowd, fixing up some of the flower arrangements. They didn't really need it, but it kept her busy while she waited to see Ruby. For the first time in a while, Weiss felt totally at ease with herself. Parties were her forte. All of the different and disparate pieces joining together and creating an enjoyable evening for so many people.

Weiss happily sighed to herself as she thought about the past week. Everything was finally falling into place for her. She was away from her father and the political machinations of Atlas. She was a part of a team that genuinely cared for each other, that worked well together and supported each other. Not without some kinks to work out, but hey: nobody's perfect. And of course, there was Ruby. Sweet, innocently naïve Ruby, who could find the good in everything, even her. The absolute love of Weiss' life. Which was not hyperbole:

Weiss was so lost in thought, she didn't notice the footsteps behind her and jumped at the light touch on her back, yelping loudly. Weiss abruptly turned around and saw Ruby, smiling at her widely. Weiss gasped; Ruby looked so beautiful in her red dress. Her silver eyes glittering in the light of the ballroom…

"Earth to Weiss," Ruby said, waving her hand, "You okay there?" Weiss shook herself.

"Sorry," Weiss said, "Kinda started daydreaming for a bit there. You look amazing, Ruby."

"Thanks," Ruby said, tugging at her dress, "You look amazing too." Weiss blushed a little, before kissing Ruby on the cheek. "Um," Ruby said, giggling a little, "Did you want to dance?" Ruby gestured vaguely to the dance floor. Weiss was a little shocked, but smiled and nodded, taking Ruby's hand. "You're gonna have to lead though," Ruby admitted sheepishly, "I kinda neglected dancing this week."

"That's fine," Weiss said as she led Ruby to the dance floor, "Just hold on to me, okay?" Weiss put a hand on Ruby's waist and led her in a slow dance as soft music began to play. Other couples joined them, and Ruby saw Yang and Blake dancing, as well as Jaune and Pyrrha. Ruby smiled: it looked like everyone was coupling up now. Ruby caught sight of Nora and Ren enjoying punch on the sidelines, Nora's eyes flickering between Ren and the dance floor. Okay, maybe not everyone just yet.

As the song started to pick up, Weiss began to lead Ruby through all sorts of steps, twirling Ruby around like a professional. Ruby laughed openly and Weiss smiled widely as they took centre stage. Everyone not dancing was watching in awe as the huntsman and huntresses danced without a care in the world. They danced for what felt like hours, but too soon Ruby's feet began to hurt and Weiss led her off to get some punch.

"That was so much fun," Ruby exclaimed, before gulping down her punch. "I never knew dancing could be as fun as hunting Grimm."

"You'd be surprised," Weiss said, refilling Ruby's cup with more punch, "When we have some time, you'll have to let me take you to some of the parties in Atlas."

"Didn't you say everyone in Atlas was miserable and fake and was only concerned about themselves?" Ruby asked, taking another drink of punch.

"I don't think I used _exactly_ those words," Weiss said, a little offended, "But it's not the people I want to show you. While the people leave… _something_ to be desired, the parties aren't actually that bad. And there's so much of Atlas I want to show you." Ruby listened as Weiss just started talking about all the good things about Atlas, and it just made her smile. This was the Weiss that wasn't cold and angry, but the one who as passionate. The one that Ruby had fallen in love with. In that moment, Ruby realised that neither of them had said that. Had they? Ruby thought about the entire week, the time they'd stolen together between classes. The embraces and the kissing…had either of them said out loud what they both knew?

"Hey Weiss," Ruby said, interjecting Weiss' description of Atlas, "Do you think we could go somewhere a little more private?"

"Sure," Weiss said, a little confused. Ruby led Weiss up the spiralled staircase that went up to one of the balconies. As they were ascending, Ruby briefly caught Yang's eye and saw her sister beam before they made it to the balcony and the party was left behind. Ruby went to the edge and leaned on the handrail, looking out at the darkened campus. Now they were here, all she "What's up, Ruby?" Weiss asked, concerned.

"I want to tell you something," Ruby said, suddenly nervous all over again, "I'm just…not really sure how to say it." _Just tell her, Ruby! It's not hard. You kiss, you hold hands and you've even slept in the same bed. It's not hard to say it: I love you Weiss. Say it!_

"Ruby," Weiss said, walking up to Ruby and taking her hands, gently caressing them with her thumbs, "Whatever it is, you can tell me." Ruby looked into the icy blue of Weiss' eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Weiss…I love you," the words tumbled out of Ruby's mouth, and a brief look of shock passed over Weiss' face, before a small smile. It was like something had been unlocked in Weiss' heart, and words she had wanted to say for so long now rose to the surface, waiting to be set free.

"And I love you, Ruby Rose," Weiss replied, and Ruby smiled. And then, inexplicably, Ruby started giggling. "What?" Weiss said, frowning. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Ruby said, before she started giggling even louder. Ruby had to hold her sides, they were hurting so bad. Weiss was not happy, to say the least. A heartfelt confession, one that had to be hard for both of them. And Ruby was laughing. It was a little disheartening, to tell the truth. And it made Weiss a little angry.

"We just said we love each other and you're laughing, something has to be-" Weiss was cut off when Ruby put her hands on either side of Weiss' face and pulled her into a kiss. Weiss' confusion melted away as she pulled Ruby close. This kiss was like their first: a fairy tale kiss, full of love and promise. After a few seconds, they broke apart, and Weiss smiled again.

"What was so funny?" Weiss asked. Ruby smiled widely.

"I've been feeling nervous all day, Weiss," Ruby explained, "And it was only just now I realised how silly it was. I love you, and you love me. The answer was so simple, I couldn't help but laugh. That and you get this cute crinkle in your forehead when you don't understand something-" Ruby was the one cut off this time as Weiss pulled her back into a kiss.

Weiss was currently over the moon. It had been weeks of agonising over her feelings of Ruby, an agony that had been alleviated by Ruby's affection. Now all that was behind them. They were in love; Weiss had felt it, Ruby had felt it. But now…now they both knew it.

"I love you," Weiss said again as they broke apart.

"I love you," Ruby said, and the pair linked arms and went back down to the party, just in time to see JNPR dancing in sync to the cheers of the crowd. Yang was hand in hand with Blake and looked up to see Ruby and Weiss, happy and together. _Good job, little sister. Mom would be really proud of you._


	12. Chapter 12

Well, I promised I'd get this one up in a week, didn't I? I have a little denouement with Weiss and Ruby to write up so we close where we began. This one is for everyone asking for the other major pairings as I call them. I hope I did a good job with them, but I will be honest that these were a little tricky to get down on paper.

So, if you choose to review (I do love hearing what people think about my stories), please remember that these pairings, while I think are easily the best, are not ones I thought I would really tackle in this sort of detail. So please be nice. Though if you want to cuss me out, that's fine too. But please, enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 12:

It was later in the night, and the students had begun filtering out of the dance hall. Some went to their rooms, others like Jaune and Pyrrha went off to Vale for more personal time. The ones that decided to get…frisky with each other were flushed out by Glynda. Weiss and Ruby had gone back to their room with Ren and Nora, who were decidedly not a couple yet. Yang and Blake had decided to go for a long walk in the moonlight, ending up in Beacon's gardens. They walked mostly in silence, with a little idle chatter. The lack of conversation was half them enjoying each other's company. The other half was the pair of them dealing with their feelings for each other.

When Ruby and Weiss had first gotten together, for those first few days Yang and Blake had decided to give them as much privacy as they could. They had spent a lot of time in each other's company, studying, chatting and just hanging out. Hanging out usually involved them laying in the sun together, Blake using Yang as a pillow while she read. After a while, they got a little more comfortable with each other until they'd be lying next to each other, Blake snuggled right in to Yang. While this was nice, Yang was not a 'slow and steady' kind of girl, and had tried making a move. But every time she tried, Blake would pull away and close off until they would return to this unspoken connection they had since they'd paired up during their entrance exam. Rinse, lather, repeat. Yang had been a little surprised when Blake said she'd go to the dance with her, and her heart had leapt into her throat when Blake had held her hand earlier. Even dancing together was a lot more intimate than Yang had expected; very closely pressed together, with a lot of long stares into each other's eyes. But they still hadn't talked about it.

It was even Blake's idea for the walk and while the silence was nice, it was driving Yang insane. Blake walking next to her, hair shining in the moonlight, cat ears twitching every time they heard a noise. Yang could see the strong muscles move under that pale skin…Yang couldn't take it anymore: she had to break the silence.

"Are we ever going to talk about this?" Yang asked, a little more loudly than she wanted. Blake jumped and tripped a little, wobbling before getting her balance back.

"Talk about what?" Blake asked, fooling neither of them.

"Us," Yang said insistently, gesturing between the two of them, "This thing we have but won't talk about. It's the perfect night for it." Indeed, it was: the moon was full, and there were no clouds in the sky. Blake didn't say anything, so Yang kept talking. "Okay, we've been dancing around this for a while. I like you, I'm pretty sure you like me, unless I've misread the signals."

"You haven't misread," Blake said quietly, "I do like you. It's…it's just a little complicated."

"How?" Yang asked. "Is it Sun?" Yang wasn't silly; she'd seen how Blake and Sun had looked at each other. Yang wanted to pursue this, but if there was someone else, she would back off. Yang would rather Blake be happy with someone else than miserable with her.

"No, it's not Sun," Blake said, looking distressed and turning away from Yang, walking a little away from her. Blake liked Yang a lot, but there were…extenuating circumstances.

"Then what?" Yang asked, "Blake…" Yang walked up to Blake and put a hand on her shoulder. Yang felt she was being pushy, but she couldn't go on like this. If they weren't going to get together, Yang wanted a clear line. "If there's someone else, I'll back off."

"That's not what I want," Blake said, turning to face Yang, looking straight into those violet eyes. Those gorgeous violet eyes…Blake couldn't take it anymore. She reached up and put her hands on either side of Yang's face and before Yang could react, Blake pulled her down and kissed her, hard. The kiss lasted only a few seconds before Blake pulled back, hesitant. They both hesitated for a second, before pulling each other close into a passionate embrace. It was a hungry kiss, both trying to show the other how they felt. Blake wrapped her arms around Yang's neck while Yang put her hands on Blake's waist and held her tight. Yang felt Blake's hands twist into her hair, driving Yang to kiss her harder, her tongue begging for entry into Blake's mouth. Blake let her mouth open, and their tongues met and danced around each other. Yang had never felt passion like this for or from anyone. She had never expected it from Blake. But it was like something had thrown a switch for both of them. They kept trying to pull each other even closer, neither wanting to let go.

They broke apart, slowly, reluctantly. Both were breathless, their foreheads touching. The intimacy lasted a few minutes, but then Blake stepped back, out of Yang's reach. Before Yang could say anything, Blake turned around and hugged herself.

"I shouldn't have done that," Blake said, almost to herself. Yang wanted to tear her hair out in frustration. That had to be the best kiss either of them had ever had, and now Blake was going cold on her again. Had Yang done something wrong?

"Seriously, Blake," Yang said, keeping her voice level despite her frustration, "I don't get it; what's holding you back? If it's me, if I'm being too pushy, I can leave you alone." To emphasise her point, Yang took a few steps back. "Just please talk to me."

Blake turned to look at Yang and saw her pleading face. Yang just wanted to understand. Blake's face was full of insecurity and fear. Blake bit her lip and took a deep breath. After that kiss, it was clear that they both wanted to move forward. Yang deserved an explanation, and with that simple gesture of stepping back, Yang proved she had more concern for her feelings than… _him._

"It's not you," Blake said, taking a step forward. "I like you a lot, I really do. I don't want you to back off either. It's just…" Blake trailed off, before gesturing to a nearby bench. The two sat down, and Yang looked at Blake, prepared to listen. Blake took another shaky breath before starting her explanation.

"When I was fifteen, and I was still in the White Fang," Blake said, playing with the hem of her dress. "There was a boy. He was powerful, attractive, and he noticed me. His name was Adam and we got…involved." Blake's hands tightened on her dress as she remembered. Blake pushed those memories into the back of her mind. Focus on the details, not the memories.

Yang had noticed the reaction. "What happened?" Yang asked, offering a hand to Blake. Blake took it, linking their fingers together.

"At first, it was nice," Blake said, "I was sure we had fallen in love, but after a while…I don't know, he changed. He got possessive, frightening. He told me where to go, what to do and who I could see. He even kept me away from my parents. When he became leader of the White Fang, it got even worse. I had to keep him happy, so I put on a mask and buried my pain, physical and mental."

"So, you leaving the White Fang…" Yang said, realising in an instant why Blake was the way she was. The pulling away, the hesitance to pursue her feelings. All because of this Adam. Yang was angry and felt her semblance burn inside her, and it took everything she had to supress it so she didn't crush Blake's hand. How dare did this Adam hurt Blake like this? What gave him the right?

"It took everything I had to get away from him and the White Fang," Blake said, squeezing Yang's hand. "Now, with you…us. If it goes bad…I can't do that again." Blake looked into Yang's eyes, those beautiful eyes looking at her with so much love. Blake leant up and kissed Yang again, softly this time. Yang kissed back, holding back a little, letting Blake set the rules. Blake broke the kiss off and nuzzled into Yang's neck. Yang hugged Blake close, letting Blake get comfortable with her.

"Go out with me?" Blake asked, almost too casually. The words were simple, but the meaning behind them was clear. Yang didn't hesitate in her answer.

"Of course," Yang said, and they kissed again, Blake melting into her girlfriend's embrace.

It was truly a beautiful night, the two of them bathed in the light of the moon.

Elsewhere, in the bright streets of Vale, Pyrrha was having the time of her life. She had won for tournaments, was one of the brightest and talented students at what was considered the best Huntsman academy in the four kingdoms, and it was a nice dinner and a long walk through city streets with the boy she loved that Pyrrha would treasure forever.

This very second, Pyrrha was almost doubled over with laughter. "No way, I don't believe you!" she exclaimed through her giggles. Jaune was regaling her with stories from his childhood. Right now, he was telling her about the time his sisters thought it would be funny if they dressed him up in one of their outfits and entered him in a beauty pageant.

"I'm 100 percent serious," Jaune insisted as they walked hand in hand through the streets, gesturing away with his free hand. "After I got a look of myself in the mirror, I thought it would be pretty funny, and I ended up winning first place. To this day, no one knows that 'little Janey' was really Jaune Arc. I still have the tiara at home." Pyrrha howled with laughter. It felt good to loosen up and not be so formal. That was what Jaune was good at: making Pyrrha feel like a real person. It was one of the reasons she loved him so much.

After Pyrrha's laughter died down, Jaune got uncharacteristically sober. "Hey, Pyrrha," Jaune said, "Why'd you say yes when I asked you to the dance?"

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked, a little confused, Jaune had told her that Ruby was the reason he asked her, but Jaune had made it clear that he did want to take her. Jaune just wanted to make sure that she knew, so there wasn't any miscommunication later on. Or for Weiss to be vindictive and reveal it in some overly dramatic way.

"Well, I mean," Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, "You're Pyrrha Nikos. Most of the Beacon male student body must've been lining up through the halls to ask you."

"Don't you think you would have tripped over them?" Pyrrha asked, sniggering a little at her own joke.

"You know, I hadn't thought of that," Jaune said, half-jokingly, "But still, of all the guys who you could have picked, why me?

Pyrrha smiled at Jaune. Sometimes he could be so clueless sometimes…well, most of the time.

"You mean, apart from the fact you're handsome and make me laugh?" Pyrrha asked, making Jaune blush. "Well, I suppose it's because that no one else asked me. You were the only one."

"Really?" Jaune asked, genuinely surprised, "But you're Pyrrha Nikos!" Pyrrha smiled: only a few months ago, Jaune would have had no idea who Pyrrha Nikos was.

"Exactly," Pyrrha said, "Jaune, I've been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities. I was constantly surrounded by love and praise…" Pyrrha trailed off and stopped walking, almost pulling Jaune over by how sudden she stopped. "But when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people who put you there in the first place. Everyone assumes I'm too good for them. That I'm on a level they simply can't obtain. It made it impossible to form any meaningful relationships with people."

"I…never realised," Jaune said, his fingers tightening on Pyrrha's hand, making her heart soar.

"That's why I like you so much," Pyrrha said, smiling at Jaune's confused frown, "You had no idea who I was when we first met. You just treated me like I was another person. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have met Ren or Nora, Ruby and Yang or Blake. Because of you, I have real friendships that will last a lifetime. So, that's why I said yes: because you're the only boy I would want to go with. Someone who sees me for me." Pyrrha smiled widely, and Jaune smiled back.

As Pyrrha looked into Jaune's eyes, she felt something seize her. Pyrrha reached up and cupped Jaune's face, pulling Jaune a little closer. Jaune, when his brain realised what was happening, put a hand on Pyrrha's waist and held her close. Both of them hesitated for a second, unsure how to proceed. Until Pyrrha finally decided that enough was enough and leant up, kissing Jaune on the mouth. Jaune went rigid, and Pyrrha felt her heart drop for a second before she felt a pressure on her lips.

Jaune was kissing her back, his arms wrapping tightly around Pyrrha. Pyrrha felt her foot pop as she leant into Jaune, kissing him as passionately as she could.

Pyrrha never wanted this moment to end.

Nora couldn't sleep. Everyone around her was coupling up and she still couldn't find the courage to confess her feelings to Ren. Nora had almost psyched herself up and gone through with it after JNPR's synchronised dance routine (they had worked on that for weeks) and Nora had 'convinced' Ren to slow dance with her. But just when she had worked up the courage to say it, the teachers had decided to call it a night and Glynda helped the students disperse. Jaune and Pyrrha went off on their date, Blake and Yang had wandered off somewhere and Ruby and Weiss had at least been polite enough to see Nora and Ren back to their room before being all…'couple-y' again.

Now in the dark of their room, Nora was tossing and turning. It was both a blessing and a curse, loving your best friend. On the one hand, Nora and Ren knew each other inside and out. There was almost nothing that they didn't know about each other. But on the other hand, if they got together and things went sour, Nora risked losing the one person who had always been there for her. It wasn't a risk she really wanted to take.

"Stupid unrequited love," Nora said, fluffing her pillow a little more violently that she should have, "Why can't Ren just love me like I love him. Make things so much simpler." Nora slammed onto the pillow and roughly pulled the covers over her head. Nothing would make her happier than to be with Ren. To be 'together-together.' But it seemed so hopeless to her.

Then she heard the mumbling. Frowning, Nora poked her head out from under the covers and looked at Ren. In the dim light of the room, she could see him twitching and sweating. Moaning things under his breath, sounding absolutely terrified. "Now?" Nora asked to the quiet room. Ren hadn't had a nightmare like this in a while. Nora climbed out of bed, flicked on a lamp and knelt by Ren's bed. Ren was twitching badly, one hand under his pillow.

"No," Ren moaned, sounding scared. He repeated the word, over and over again. Nora gently shook him, trying to rouse him.

"Ren, it's okay," Nora said softly, "It's okay. It's just a nightmare." Ren wouldn't wake, so Nora shook him a little more vigorously. "Ren, wake up. It's me, Nora." Ren's eyes snapped open and with a roar he swung his arm towards Nora's head. Nora barely had time to throw herself backwards, slamming into her own bed before a knife cut through the air where Nora would have been. Nora was breathing hard as Ren looked wildly around, his own chest heaving. Nora knew that knife: Ren had carried it ever since they had met. Since they were both made orphans.

Ren's eyes settled on Nora, whose face betrayed how scared she felt. Ren finally woke up and saw the knife in his hand, looking between it and Nora.

"Nora," Ren said. "Oh god," Realisation dawned on him and he dropped the knife and climbed out of bed, rushing to Nora. Ren checked Nora all over, hands checking her for cuts.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Ren asked, cupping Nora's face, desperation in his eyes. Nora shook her head, gently nuzzling into Ren's hand. Ren hugged her, and Nora ran her fingers through his hair, drinking in his scent.

"You haven't had a nightmare like that in a while," Nora said as they embraced. Nora hugged him tightly, trying to communicate so many unsaid things in the hug.

"Not since we came to Beacon," Ren said quietly. Ren pulled back and looked at Nora. Nora smiled at him, and then poked him on the nose.

"Boop," she said, and Ren smiled. Nora was okay. Ren picked up his knife as he went back to bed, stowing it away in a drawer where it couldn't hurt anyone. Nora switched the light off, before looking at her bed and looking at Ren. Nora took her pillow and blanket and plopped down next to Ren's bed. As she settled in, her back to Ren, she felt a hand play with her hair. Nora looked at Ren, and he poked her on the nose.

"Boop," Ren said, smiling at her. Nora smiled back, and let Ren keep playing with her hair while the two of them fell asleep.

Maybe being in love with your best friend wasn't so bad after all.


	13. Arc One Denouement

Arc One: Getting Together - Denouement

"Are you sure we shouldn't check on them?" Ruby asked, a hand on the doorknob. They had just heard a loud thumping noise coming from JNPR's room.

"Nora probably just fell out of bed or something," Weiss said offhandedly, waving a hand as she worked with Ruby's music player/headphone combo, Ruby's scroll and a set of speakers Weiss had dug up out of Yang's things. "Ah, that should do it," Weiss said, standing up straight and hitting 'play'. Soft dance music began to fill their room, and Weiss swayed to it as she walked over to Ruby and pulled her away from the door, towards the centre of the room. Ruby groaned a little, in fun of course, as Weiss dragged her into dancing. They had _finally_ ditched the heels, which made it a little strange, but it was still romantic. Weiss smiled as she gazed into Ruby's silver eyes, guiding her through some uncomplicated dance steps.

"It's been a great week, hasn't it Ruby?" Weiss asked as they danced, Ruby blushing as she smiled. They'd been doing a lot of that lately.

"It has," Ruby agreed, "Even with Jaune being an idiot."

"Even with that," Weiss laughed a little, "But I can honestly say this is the best week of my life. All because of you, Ruby Rose, love of my life."

"Stop," Ruby blushed even more, "I haven't done that much."

"Ruby," Weiss said lovingly, "If you hadn't taken me to Vale to cheer me up, or thrown that surprise birthday party, we wouldn't be here."

"Well…" Ruby said, head tilting to the side, "If your sister hadn't called me, I wouldn't have known to do any of that."

"Then I owe my sister thanks," Weiss said, "But you…you're the one who did it all. You even made me this," Weiss gestured to the necklace that bore her name in silver letters, "Even before we were together. It's the most thoughtful gift I've ever had. I do have a question for you though, if you don't mind."

"Of course not," Ruby said, frowning a little. "What is it?"

"When we have another break," Weiss said carefully, "Do you think I could meet your father?"

"…Why?" Ruby asked, confused, "I mean, I don't mind but…why?"

"Well," Weiss started to explain, "I think it's only proper to meet the father of my girlfriend, don't you?"

"I don't know," Ruby admitted, "I've never had a girlfriend before. But if you really want to, sure. I'll call him tomorrow and we can go there next break."

"Excellent," Weiss said, and the two continued to dance, until Weiss' scroll began to ring.

"Whose calling at this time of night?" Ruby asked as they stopped dancing. Weiss shrugged as she answered her scroll while Ruby shut the music off.

"Hello?" Weiss asked into the scroll.

" _Do you ever look at caller ID, sister?"_

"Winter!" Weiss exclaimed happily, "How have you been? I thought you were away on a mission for Atlas?"

" _I made a point to finish it as soon as I could, so I could talk to you again,"_ Winter explained, _"I had hoped to help you through your crisis, but it seems I needn't have bothered. You seem much happier than the last time we spoke."_

"I am," Weiss said, gazing at Ruby who blushed again, "The crisis kind of…solved itself."

" _Meaning, I assume, that there is a certain young woman there with you now?"_

"Yes, and we are very happy together. She's even taking me to meet her father soon."

" _Oh, well I hope you take that time to secure her hand in marriage then."_

"What?!" Winter laughed at the flustered sound of her younger sister's voice.

" _I'm joking, mostly. But it's good you've found love in your life. There's precious little love in our family, it's good to add to it. May I speak to Ruby, please?"_

"Sure," Weiss said cautiously, hoping Winter wouldn't make another joke about marriage so soon. A week was far too short a time to be thinking about that. _Apart from the fact you've been doodling Mrs Ruby Rose every chance you get._ Weiss handed the scroll to Ruby, who put it to her ear a little hesitantly.

"Hello?"

" _Hello, Miss Rose. I trust my sister has been good to you."_

"Better than good," Ruby said, winking at Weiss whose turn it was to blush. "Actually, we talked about it earlier and we wanted to thank you."

" _Me? Whatever did I do?"_

"If you didn't call me to tell me about Weiss' birthday," Ruby said, "I don't know that we would have gotten together. So, thank you, Winter."

" _Well, I knew my sister would confess eventually, so I…tweaked the circumstances as best I could from here."_ Ruby frowned, but smiled. Winter had planned this? _"I hope one day to call you 'sister', Miss Rose. Please treat my sister well."_

"I will," Ruby promised, "And maybe you could call me 'Ruby' for now."

" _Ruby, then. I'll let you go, tell my sister I say goodbye, and to seriously think about my little joke."_ With that confusing parting sentence, Winter hung up. Ruby collapsed the scroll and handed it back to Weiss.

"What did Winter want?"

"To tell me to treat you right, basically," Ruby said, "And to tell you to 'think seriously' about her joke. What did she mean by that?"

"Nothing," Weiss said, shaking her head, "Just a joke between sisters." Weiss yawned, tired from the day she'd had. Ruby was tired as well, and they looked at the beds. "We should really get a double bed, if we're going to keep sleeping in the same one."

"Can we fit a double bed in here?" Ruby asked, and Weiss thought about it before Yang and Blake finally came back, hand in hand.

"Who wants a double bed?" Yang asked, "I want a double bed!"

"If I didn't know better," Weiss said, hands on her hips, "I'd say you were drunk."

"Impossible," Yang said, proud of herself, "Blake wouldn't let me spike the punch anyway."

"Don't pin that on me," Blake said, grinning ear to ear, "Glynda would have had your hide."

"I could take her…maybe," Yang said, and RWBY bantered for a while before they all went to bed. Blake and Yang climbed into their own beds, and Ruby and Weiss shared Weiss' bed.

"Best," Ruby said quietly as she and Weiss kissed goodnight, "week, ever."

* * *

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that!

For the first part of this, at least. The next arc should be the end of the story, depending on how long it takes to write it. Hopefully, with a little more action, some mild drama and maybe something a little more risque than normal for this. (This might just be some R-rated one-shots just to keep the rating of this story down).

Please, let me know what you thought, what you'd like to see going forward and let me know if I'm doing anything wrong.

Oh, and so there's no confusion: I will just be updating this, I won't be making a separate story for the new arc.


	14. Chapter 13: Beginning of Arc Two

Aaaaaaand we're back! Thanks for everyone who continues to read this, it means a lot. And special thanks to Emperor of Dreams for their review. If you feel like it, please leave a review: I love feedback.

Sorry this one is a little short, but I hope to get these a little longer as I go on. I just don't want to bloat the chapters with unnecessary detail.

On to the story!

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Arc Two

Chapter 13:

It was a beautiful day in Vale: the clouds were wispy and light, the sky was a gorgeous blue and the sun was warm and bright. Weiss was humming to herself as she waited for the jeweller to box her purchase. It had been three months since Weiss and Ruby had first gotten together, and Weiss could not have been happier. It had honestly amazed her that they made it, even if the only real argument they had been about cookies of all things. But even that and the few little things that they had to learn to live with about each other had done nothing to dampen their love for each other.

Which was why Weiss, after some deliberation with herself, had decided to take her sister's advice and was planning to ask Ruby to marry her. She had spent the past couple of hours with the jeweller searching for the perfect engagement ring, one that was simple and not too expensive, but wasn't cheap and nasty either. After a while, Weiss had decided on a simple silver ring with a small ruby for a gemstone. It was a little obvious, but Weiss liked it and had paid for it out of her own modest (for her) account.

Only last month, Weiss had started having issues with her Schnee account. Weiss was unsure why, but she had a sneaking suspicion that her father had something to do with it. He was the one in charge of all the Schnee family accounts, after all. So while she had access, Weiss had started up a new account, hidden from the Schnee books, and started moving money over as discreetly as possible. It was enough that she wouldn't be destitute, but at the same time it was a step down from her usual wealth. Weiss had not told anyone about this, not even Ruby. This was her issue to deal with, and she wasn't going to worry anyone else about it. When and if her father cut her off completely, then she would tell Ruby about it.

Weiss left the store, walking out into the sunlight and sighing a happy sigh. Weiss took out the box and opened it, admiring the ring she'd bought. Weiss smiled as she imagined it on Ruby's finger. Weiss would really have to double-check Vale's marriage laws: Atlas was fairly lax on marriage age, mostly so the elite could make strategic pairings. It would also be nice to know how long she'd have to wait before they could get married.

"Hey Weiss," Weiss jumped and fumbled the ring box, almost dropping it before managing to catch it and snap the box shut, hiding it behind her back as she turned to face Yang and Blake.

"Oh, hey," Weiss said nervously, fixing a smile on her face and making sure the ring box was hidden behind her. "What brings you two to Vale?"

"Yang's taking me out to lunch," Blake said, hanging off of Yang's arm. "An all you can eat sushi buffet."

"Well, you deserve only the best I can offer," Yang said, kissing Blake's hair while Blake made a purring noise. Their relationship had progressed…strangely. For a while, you wouldn't know the two of them were _in_ a relationship. It was only recently they had been outwardly affectionate. Weiss respected their privacy enough to not ask why, but it had bothered her a little. "So, why are you here, Weiss? I thought you and Ruby would be busy packing?"

"I'm done," Weiss said, "And Ruby was mostly done when I left. So, I thought I'd make some last minute purchases while I had time."

"Weiss, we already told you," Yang groaned, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, "Dad's not gonna care if you look like a queen. All he's gonna worry about is if you're making Ruby happy. Which you've got covered, so you'll be fine."

That was another reason why Weiss had started seriously thinking about marriage: her upcoming meeting with Ruby and Yang's father, Taiyang Xiao Long. Ruby had assured Weiss that he would like her, but Weiss was still nervous about making a good first impression. Especially before Weiss did the tradition thing and ask him for Ruby's hand in marriage. Weiss wasn't planning on asking Ruby anytime soon, but Weiss had no idea when she would be able to talk to Taiyang after this vacation. Better to get his blessing now while she had a chance to make her case in person than hope for another break that they could visit in, even if Weiss was months away from proposing.

"So, Weiss," Yang said, snapping Weiss out of her thoughts, "What have you got there?" Yang gestured to the fact that Weiss still had her hands behind her back.

"What? Nothing," Weiss said, trying to pocket the ring box. But Yang was fast and snatched it out of Weiss' hand. "Hey, give it back!"

"I know it's not cool," Yang said apologetically, "But you're hiding something, which means it's to do with Ruby." Yang opened the box, despite Weiss protesting and trying to snatch the ring back. Blake shook her head at the antics, disengaging from Yang to investigate the store Weiss was in.

"Oh, it's gorgeous," Yang said as she looked at the ring, "Ruby's going to love it." Weiss, blushing and angry that she hadn't just put the box in her pocket, took the ring out of Yang's outstretched hand and pocketed it. "Why are you so embarrassed? It's just a ring."

"It's not just a ring, honey," Blake said, walking back over and taking Yang's hand. At the look of confusion on Yang's face, Blake giggled and pointed to the jewellery store. Yang looked at the store, then looked at Weiss. This continued for about a minute while Yang processed what she was seeing. Weiss could feel her cheeks roasting as Yang worked it out.

"That's an engagement ring," Yang said slowly, "You're going to…"

"Ask Ruby to marry me, yes" Weiss said shortly, wanting to get this over with quickly, "I'm not planning on doing it right away though, so _please_ don't say anything to Ruby."

"Of course not," Yang promised easily. Blake promised as well, and Weiss breathed a little sigh of relief. "But marriage? That's a pretty big step. Are you sure you guys are ready for it?" Weiss was surprised, to say the least. She was expecting at least some level of hostility from Yang.

"I don't know," Weiss admitted, "But I love Ruby, and I can't imagine not being with her. Even if I don't propose for a long time, I know that I want her in my life."

"That's…so romantic," Yang said, surprised, "Well, whenever you decide, let me be the first to welcome you to the Rose-slash-Xiao Long family." With that, Weiss found herself in a strangely tender hug with Yang. "You better look after my little sister though." _There_ was the protectiveness Weiss was expecting.

"I will," Weiss said as the hug ended, "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Remember, not a word to Ruby. I want to think about this for a while."

"I won't say a thing," Yang said, "But technically, you can't ask for at least a month."

"Why?"

"Ruby turns sixteen, which I think is legal age in Vale," Yang said, frowning as she thought about it. She knew Taiyang and her mother had gotten together young, but she wasn't sure how young.

"Can't huntsman and huntresses get special permission to marry young?" Blake asked, and Weiss' ears pricked up. "Back on Sanctuary, it's…not encouraged, but you can marry at fifteen because of the dangerous Grimm there. When you can get eaten just by wandering too far out of town, marrying young isn't as much of a deal."

"Might be worth asking Ozpin," Yang said, "I don't know, I've never given much thought to marriage. Not something I ever thought I'd do."

"Oh," Blake said, smiling her cat-like smile, "But what if I asked you to marry me? Would you say no?"

"That," Yang said in a low voice, pulling Blake close, "would be an entirely different story." Yang kissed Blake, who returned the kiss wholeheartedly. Weiss waited until they parted before bidding them goodbye, leaving the couple to their date. As Weiss made the long walk back to Beacon, she smiled. Yang and Blake would be gone for ages. Ruby and Weiss would be properly alone for a long while once she got back…

* * *

Ruby was happily bopping along to music blaring from her headphones as she finished packing her suitcase. Weiss was out on some errand, and Yang and Blake had left for a lunch date, leaving her alone. Only one more day and she would be heading home to Patch for a whole week. With Weiss…Ruby hoped she and her dad would get along. Ruby had written twice to him, as well as getting him on the phone to make sure it was okay to come home, so close to the Vytal Festival. Taiyang was ecstatic that his daughter was coming home, and a little surprised but glad she was bringing her girlfriend along.

As Ruby was thinking about the trip, and not having a great sense of her surroundings because of loud music, she didn't hear the door open and shut behind her. Nor did she hear the lock click. Ruby jumped as she felt a familiar pair of arms drape over her shoulder, and a familiar pair of lips kiss her cheek tenderly.

"You're back," Ruby said, a little loudly. Weiss slipped Ruby's headphones off, clicking them off before gently throwing them into Ruby's open suitcase.

"You're going to go deaf," Weiss said, nuzzling Ruby's neck, "Playing your music that loud." Weiss spun Ruby around before pulling her close, kissing her. Ruby kissed back, hands resting gently on Weiss' hips. The kiss was long and slow, full of low burning passion.

"Something's got you in a good mood," Ruby said, smiling at her girlfriend.

"Why shouldn't I be in a good mood?" Weiss asked, lacing her fingers and resting her hands on the back of Ruby's neck, sending small shivers down her spine. "We go away as a couple tomorrow, I get to meet your father…and with Yang and Blake in Vale," Weiss leaned in and gently kissed Ruby on the cheek before whispering, "We've got the room to ourselves."

"Oh," Ruby said, blushing nervously as Weiss, after moving Ruby's suitcase out of the way, gently pushed Ruby onto her bed before, a little awkwardly, straddling her. Weiss kissed Ruby again, passionately. Ruby responded eagerly as she let herself fall back onto the bed, feeling Weiss' weight on top of her. Weiss clasped Ruby's face her tongue begging for entry into Ruby's mouth. Ruby let it, her own tongue meeting Weiss'. Weiss let a hand slowly slide down Ruby's face, slowly drifting down to Ruby's chest…

Suddenly, a loud banging distracted the couple before they could go any further. Weiss growled as the door rattled under the force of someone knocking. "I swear," Weiss said as she got off of Ruby, straightening herself up before going to the door, "If that's Jaune wanting more relationship advice, I'm going to kill him."

Ruby was a little relieved that they had been interrupted again. That was the third time they had tried to advance their relationship to a more physical one, and the third time it had been cut short. Ruby was willing to take that step with Weiss, but she was still a little unsure if she was ready to be that open with someone. It scared her a little.

"Okay, okay," Weiss said as she unlocked the door, "What is it that's so important?" Weiss was barely able to finish the sentence before someone burst through the door and tackle-hugged by an excited Nora, who was saying something very loudly and at a very high pitch. But all Ruby was worried about was Weiss.

"Oh my god, Weiss!" Ruby climbed off the bed and rushed to her girlfriend, "Are you-" Ruby was cut off as Nora grabbed her and pulled Weiss up, giving them both a bear-crushing hug that felt like being hugged by a hundred Yang's at full strength.

"Nora," Ruby managed to choke out, struggling against Nora's grip. Being Yang's sister, she was used to this sort of thing. "What's going on? Also, can't breathe."

"He asked me out!" Nora exclaimed, squeezing the two of them even tighter, if that was possible, "Ren asked me out on a date, tonight!"

"That's great," Ruby said, tapping Nora's arm weakly. Weiss looked about ready to pass out, "But we really need to breathe, Nora." Nora realised what she was doing and let them go. Ruby recovered quickly, moving straight to Weiss and catching her before she fell over. Ruby kept Weiss steady as she took deep breaths. "You okay?" Weiss nodded, looking a bit ill.

"Sorry," Nora apologised, looking sheepish for about a second, "but I'm just so excited!"

"Congratulations," Weiss said once she got breath back, "Where are you going? Anywhere special?"

"I don't know, that's the best part!" Nora exclaimed very loudly, bouncing on the spot, "Ren is taking care of everything. He's asking Jaune for help picking a suit, so I wanted to ask if you'd help Pyrrha find me a dress?" Neither Ruby nor Weiss really wanted to hang out with Nora, not after being crushed. But seeing as how she was this happy, they couldn't bear to see her disappointed. They both agreed to help, and Nora practically dragged them off to wherever Pyrrha was so they could play fashionista.

Right now, vacation away from Beacon was looking really good.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

"Are you sure you have everything?" Yang asked as Ruby loaded her suitcase into the transport that was bound for Patch. They had decided to go early in the morning, so they had more time at Ruby's home. Yang had made sure that she was awake to see Ruby and Weiss off. Yang had spent most of that time asking if they had remembered everything they wanted to take. Patch was a few hours away, so if they forgot something, it was staying put.

"Yes, Yang," Ruby sighed, exasperated, "Stop worrying already. We're only going home and Dad is meeting us when we get there."

"I know," Yang insisted, smiling down at her little sister, before shaking her head, "Look at you, acting all grown up and stuff. You're even on your first ever couple's vacation of all things."

"I know," Ruby said, looking to where Weiss was waiting for her inside the transport, saving her a seat. "I can hardly believe it myself."

"Ruby," Yang said tenderly, pulling Ruby into a soft (for her) hug, "Don't try and grow up too fast, okay?"

"Yang, are you okay?" Ruby asked, looking up her sister, "You seem a bit…off today." Yang shook her head, smiling at Ruby to reassure her. Truth be told, knowing what Weiss was planning for her and Ruby's future, Yang was feeling a little melancholy. Ruby wasn't a kid anymore, despite her age. While Yang was proud, it was a reality she didn't think she would be dealing with this soon.

"Okay, no more sappiness," Yang said, turning Ruby around and pushing her towards and onto the transport. "You go, have fun. Say hi to Dad and Zwei for me!" The transport began to fire up, the doors closed and the transport started to take off. The wind picked up, whipping Yang's hair around her face. Ruby waved from the windows, big grin on her face. Yang smiled and waved back as she watched the transport pick up speed and make its way to Patch. Soon, Yang was alone on the platform as she watched the transport disappear into the morning sky. Her smile faded, and she headed back to her room.

Life had a funny way of working out sometimes.

* * *

"So, excited?" Ruby asked happily as she sat down next to Weiss and taking her hand. "We are officially on vacation!" The transport was pretty full and loud, so Ruby could be as excited as she wanted without drawing too much attention.

"I don't know that 'excited' is the right word," Weiss admitted, looking a little forlorn now they were actually on their way. "Nervous would be a bit more accurate."

"Come on Weiss," Ruby said, wrapping an arm around Weiss' shoulders, hugging her close. Weiss laid her head on Ruby's shoulder, "Dad is gonna love you."

"How can you be so sure?" Weiss asked, nerves getting the better of her usually confident demeanour.

"Coz I do, stupid," Ruby said, gently poking Weiss in the forehead with her free hand. Weiss smiled, nuzzling into Ruby's neck. The couple passed the time as best they could, but with the long trip ahead of them, they grew quickly bored of Weiss' travel games. So, Ruby decided to show Weiss the ultimate way to pass time and fired up her favourite video game. Weiss tried it on Ruby's scroll until she got the hang of it, so Ruby transferred a copy to Weiss' scroll and they played for almost the entire trip. Ruby was the veteran, used to flashy combos against her sister, but Weiss didn't know combos. So, she just hit buttons haphazardly, which worked out well for her. By the time they finished playing, Weiss had just narrowly beat Ruby 26-24. Weiss crowed her victory very loudly, drawing some attention from others. Ruby slumped in her seat, defeated and a little depressed she had lost.

"I instantly regret showing you this game," Ruby said, pouting and folding her arms, turning away from Weiss, who was still high from her victory.

"Oh, you're so cute when you pout," Weiss said, draping herself over Ruby.

"No, I'm mad at you," Ruby said, turning her nose up. Weiss would have been hurt, if she didn't know Ruby inside and out.

"Well, let me make it better," Weiss said, putting a finger under Ruby's chin and turning her head around so Ruby was facing Weiss. Weiss kissed Ruby before she could mock-protest any more, and Ruby melted instantly. "See? All better."

"I hate you can do that," Ruby said, pouting again. Weiss kissed Ruby again, before the transport shuddered and the couple looked around.

"Looks like we're going down," Weiss said, and Ruby jumped up excitedly, earlier woes forgotten.

"We're here!" Ruby said, dragging Weiss to a free space by the windows so they could look down. Weiss was amazed as she looked out at Patch. They were still high up, so Weiss could see the whole island. The burning amber of the forests that dominated the landscape, the green fields that broke up sections of the forest, and the town that held Signal Academy, the second largest combat school in the kingdom. The town seemed pretty large, and Weiss started looking for where Ruby's house would be. Ruby had said it was a while away from the town, enough that walking took hours. But Weiss couldn't see through all the trees.

"Oh, it's beautiful," Weiss said, earning a look of adoration from Ruby, "Why would anyone ever want to leave."

"Well, it can get a bit boring, especially if you're not training at Signal," Ruby said, "So, you like it?" Ruby had been a little worried that Patch would be a little too rustic for a Schnee heiress.

"I love it," Weiss said, still looking down in wonder. Ruby sighed quietly with relief.

The airship touched down at the airport just outside of town, and Ruby and Weiss disembarked, retrieving their suitcases. Weiss loved Patch even more now she was up close. The air always seemed to have a few amber leaves floating through the sky, and the architecture of town was similar to Vale. In fact, if Weiss had been blindfolded, she didn't think she'd know that she had left Vale.

"Welcome to Patch!" Ruby proclaimed, throwing her arms up, "What do you think? Really, I mean."

"I love it," Weiss repeated, "It's amazing here. But…" she looked around, "Wasn't your father supposed to meet us here?"

In direct response to that, an open top car came almost out of nowhere, coming to a full stop right in front of the couple. A blonde man, maybe in his late thirties or early forties, was sitting in the driver's seat, grinning madly. His clothes were tan and brown and looked rough and worn, with a unique tattoo on his right arm. Weiss recognised that grin: it was the same as Ruby and Yang's. This had to be Taiyang.

"Hey there, girls," Taiyang said brightly, climbing out of the car and immediately going over to Ruby, who squealed with delight and hugged her dad tightly. Taiyang returned the hug and spun Ruby around happily. "How's my favourite youngest daughter?"

"Dad!" Ruby exclaimed, refusing to let go of him, "Did you miss me? Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did," Taiyang said, and as Ruby began to tell Taiyang everything about Beacon, Weiss found herself feeling a tinge of jealousy. Her father was nothing like this. Weiss couldn't remember if they had ever talked like that. It was always like a business meeting: what she was wearing today, who she was going to talk to, when she was training. They never exchanged words of comfort or affection. Jacques Schnee was not interested in the daughter he had, only what he could use her for. For the first time, Weiss realised that her father was not what a father should be.

"So, are you going to introduce us, Ruby?" Taiyang asked, and Weiss was shaken out of her thoughts by Ruby grabbing her hand and pulling her over.

"Weiss, this is my dad, Taiyang," Ruby said, gesturing to Taiyang, who smiled broadly. "Dad, this is my girlfriend and partner, Weiss Schnee."

"Uh," Weiss' words failed her for a second, "It's a pleasure to meet you sir." Weiss held out a hand, and Taiyang shook it eagerly, though not roughly. "Thank you for letting me stay in your home." That was stupid: she hadn't even seen the place yet.

"It's no trouble at all," Taiyang said, and Weiss found herself smiling. Taiyang's enthusiasm for life in general was infectious. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. Here, let me get those." Taiyang reached out and grabbed both Ruby and Weiss' suitcases, loading them into the car before Weiss could protest. She was perfectly capable of lifting her own suitcase, but she didn't want to be rude by insisting. "Now," Taiyang said, "Let's get you two home. I'm sure you want to relax after your trip.: Ruby and Weiss climbed into the back of the car, and Taiyang climbed back into the driver's seat. The car rumbled to life and took off, headed towards the forest.

Weiss had never been in an open top car before. It was always expensive cars that had cushions you could sink into and barely feel like you were moving. In stark contrast, this was loud, kind of uncomfortable and the best thing ever. The air whipped past them, sending their hair flying in all directions. The road into the forest was bumpy, and Taiyang seemed to aim for them to make Ruby and Weiss almost bounce out of the car. Ruby squealed with childish glee as she did, and Weiss found herself doing the same.

After a while, the car slowed down to a comfortable ride, and they rounded a corner. Weiss gasped, almost falling out of the car. It was a house that had been built out of logs, like a gigantic cabin. It honestly looked like something out of a fairy tale. As soon as the car stopped, Weiss climbed out and ran a few steps, looking around. Everything was perfect. Weiss never wanted to leave. As she was drinking in the scenery, there was a barking sound and something small and furry launched into Weiss, knocking her to the ground and driving the breath out of her. Once she recovered, Weiss looked at the small black and white dog now standing on her chest, barking happily.

"You have a dog," Weiss called out to Ruby, who was busy laughing as Taiyang parked the car, laughing as well. "You didn't tell me you had a dog!"

"That's Zwei," Ruby said after the laughter subsided, "And I wanted it to be a surprise. Surprise!"

"Well, I'm surprised," Weiss said surlily, looking at the dog with a frown and prepared to scold it for knocking her over. But Zwei just looked at her with those big puppy dog eyes, and Weiss felt her irritation vanish.

"Oh, I can't be mad at you," Weiss said, sitting up and grabbing Zwei, petting him and scratching him behind the ears. Zwei happily nosed Weiss and started licking her face, eliciting giggles of delight from the normally composed heiress.

"Oh good," Taiyang said as he and Ruby climbed out of the car, "Zwei likes her. Good thing too, otherwise you would have had to break up with her."

"If that's what you were planning, you should have brought a new dog," Ruby said smugly, knowing her dad was just having a joke, "Zwei loves everyone."

"Well, darn," Taiyang said, "Okay, rescue Weiss from being licked to death, I'll take your suitcases up. Show her around for a bit."

"Good idea, Dad," Ruby said, and wandered over to Weiss and Zwei, crouching down and holding out her hand. "Hey boy," Ruby said, and Zwei immediately bounded over and showered Ruby in affection. "You missed me too, huh?" Ruby said, fighting Zwei off and helping Weiss up.

"He is so adorable," Weiss gushed, "Can we take him back with us? Would Ozpin let us keep him there?"

"Do I have to fight Zwei for your love?" Ruby asked, hands on her hips and a teasing smile on her face. "Coz I don't want to have to hurt my dog."

"Don't worry," Weiss said, pulling Ruby close and rubbing her nose on Ruby's, "You won't have to fight anyone for my love. It's yours." Weiss kissed Ruby, who kissed back eagerly. They made out for a little bit, before they heard Taiyang call out from the house.

"Hey, you're supposed to be giving her the tour, Ruby, not sticking your tongue down her throat!" Taiyang disappeared as they broke apart, a little embarrassed.

"Is he always like that?" Weiss asked, still holding onto Ruby.

"Kinda, yeah," Ruby admitted, "But he clearly likes you: he was a lot meaner than that to Yang's boyfriends." Ruby broke off from Weiss and took her hand. "Come on, let me show you around."

Ruby led Weiss on the grand tour, and the more Weiss saw of the place, the more she fell in love with it. The house was warm and inviting, big enough that she didn't feel cramped but not so big that she felt tiny. There was almost no wasted space inside the house.

As Ruby led her upstairs to show Weiss her room, Weiss realised they hadn't discussed sleeping arrangements. Was she going to be allowed to sleep in the same bed as Ruby, like they had been doing at Beacon? That question was answered when Ruby opened her door and they both stood, surprised at the double bed inside it.

"That was not here when I left for Beacon," Ruby said, leading Weiss inside and looking at the strange bed. Her bed had been a nice single bed.

"Are you sure this your room?" Weiss asked. "We haven't gone into your father's by accident?" It was a stupid idea, but Weiss felt the need to ask.

"No, it's mine," Ruby said, looking around, "All my stuff is still here. All my model Grimm are here, my desk, everything."

"Oh, good, you finally made it up here," Ruby and Weiss turned to see Taiyang leaning on the doorframe, "Do you like my present?"

"Present?" Ruby asked, really confused right now.

"Well," Taiyang said, "I figured Yang wouldn't want Weiss sleeping in her room and seeing as you two have been together a while, I didn't see too much reason to make Weiss sleep on the couch. So, I went and got you a new bed."

"You didn't have to that, Mr Xiao Long," Weiss said, a little embarrassed by Taiyang's generosity. "We would have worked it out."

"I didn't mind," Taiyang said, "And my little girl's growing up, so it's about time that she had a grown-up bed." Ruby went over and gave her dad a big hug. "Okay," Taiyang said, patting Ruby on the head, "Enough with the mushy, I have some errands to run before dinner tonight, so you two go ahead and get settled. I'll leave Zwei here to keep an eye on you two. You behave around my daughter, Weiss." With that, Taiyang waved goodbye and left.

"So," Ruby said as she turned around, closing the door as Taiyang disappeared. "What do you think so far?"

"I think," Weiss said, walking over to Ruby and putting her hands on Ruby's hips, "That your father is the strangest person I've ever met, besides you. Though I know where you get it from now."

"Get what?" Ruby asked coyly, making Weiss smile.

"Your energy," Weiss explained, "And your childishness…and pretty much everything I love about you."

"Oh, stop," Ruby said, blushing bright red. Weiss pulled Ruby close and kissed her softly. Ruby responded, and soon the young couple was making out passionately, neither willing to let the other go until they absolutely needed to breath.

"We keep doing that," Weiss observed as she touched her forehead to Ruby's, their intimacy palpable. After a while, Weiss looked around the room. "So where do I put my stuff?"

"I…hadn't thought about that," Ruby admitted, before breaking away from Weiss and looking around the room, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Okay, I've got it." Ruby walked over to her chest of drawers and began opening them one at a time, before deciding on one and pulling out the contents. Ruby stored those clothes under her new bed and turned back to Weiss, gesturing to the empty drawer. "There you are. That's going to be big enough, right?"

"That should be fine," Weiss said, "But I was just kidding: I could have just lived out of my suitcase for the week."

"Don't be silly," Ruby said, waving a hand before hauling both suitcases onto the bed, "You'll be staying here again, so it makes sense you should have a drawer. I'll clear out my closet a bit later, in case you want to hang something up."

Weiss shook her head in amazement. Ruby had just offered up space in her room like it was nothing, not realising how significant that was. Taiyang had been exactly the same: he hadn't treated her any differently because of her family name and just basically welcomed her into his home. Weiss found herself remembering the ring in her pocket, and the names she had doodled on that piece of paper. _Weiss Rose…_

"Hey," Ruby said, snapping Weiss out of her daydreams, "You okay, Weiss?"

"I'm fine," Weiss said, walking up to Ruby and starting to unpack her suitcase. "I was just thinking about how much I love you."


	16. Chapter 15

Hey guys, how's it going? Sorry for this one being a little shorter again, but I'm handwriting these before I type them up and edit, and ten pages of handwriting is lucky to translate to five pages in Word, so I apologise profusely. I haven't worked out exactly how to get these to the length I want, so the actual length of chapters is going to be a bit wonky.

Anyway, I'll let you guys get to reading. Please leave a review if you can, unless it's going to be telling me how bad I am because being nasty accomplishes nothing, especially on the internet.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 15:

Back at Beacon, Yang and Blake were sitting, Blake lounging, Yang crosslegged, on Blake's bed, a cheap portable chess set between them. Blake had thought this would be something fun for her and Yang to do (and get a perverse sense of satisfaction out of beating her) and was surprised when Yang beat her in about five moves. They had now been playing for about six hours with the score tied between them.

"How are you so good at this?" Blake asked as she moved a pawn forward, starting the deciding match. "I was sure you'd be bored by now."

"That's what you get for judging a book by its very attractive cover," Yang said, winking at Blake and making her blush. Yang moved her knight over the top of her pawns, folding her arms and looking satisfied. "Ruby and I used to play all the time while we were growing up."

"Ruby plays," Blake was surprised. Ruby seemed way to hyperactive to sit still to play chess. But then again, Blake had made a similar assumption with Yang.

"Yeah, she loves chess," Yang said, "I don't think she's played in a while though. Too busy with Weiss."

"I'd say I should play her sometime," Blake said, "But after playing you, I don't think I'd do too well."

"Scared of some real competition, huh?" Yang asked teasingly. Blake smiled her sly smile: the one that made Yang feel like her stomach had become a nest of butterflies. Damnit, now Blake was using her feminine wiles against her. Yang wasn't going it let those lips be the death of her, hypothetically speaking. Maybe later…

The couple continued to play, and when they reached another lull in the game, Yang asked "So, school's out once the Vytal Festival is over. You got any plans?"

"I'm not sure," Blake said, "I wrote a letter to my parents, back in Menagerie. So I might go back there, if they'll let me."

"Are you not on good terms with your folks?" Yang asked. Blake never talked about her life before Beacon, so all Yang really knew was her experiences in the White Fang.

"It's not that," Blake said, making a move in the chess game, "But when I left, I sent them a letter explaining what I was doing. I never went to see them."

"I'm sure they'll be more than happy to hear from you," Yang said, responding to the move, "At the risk of sounding self-centred, did you tell them about me?"

"I did," Blake said, moving a bishop into position. "Check."

"Well, what did you tell them?" Yang asked, a little nervous, moving a rook to block the bishop.

"That I met someone amazing," Blake said, looking into Yang's violet eyes, "who treats me right and, if she wants, I'd like them to meet her."

"Wait," Yang said, "Is that a subtle way of asking me to go to Menagerie with you?"

"Only if you want to go," Blake said, "I'm not going to force you to come with me if you don't want."

"No, I'll go with you," Yang said quickly, reassuring Blake, "I just wasn't expecting to be asked, that's all. Isn't Menagerie a 'no-humans allowed' kind of place though? Are they gonna let me off the boat?"

"Menagerie isn't forbidden to humans," Blake explained as she made another move, relieved that Yang would go back with her, "It's just that most humans don't want to go there. Provided you stick with me, you should be okay. Most Faunus will just glare at you."

"Oh, then that's cool," Yang said, biting her lip as she looked at the board. "I'll look forward to it: I've never been that far south."

"Good," Blake said, before looking at the board, "It's your move." There was no way that Blake could lose this match. She'd set everything up perfectly.

Yang picked up her last knight and moved it. "And checkmate with the cute little pony." Yang grinned triumphantly as Blake leant forward in shock, her face frantic.

"How?" Blake asked, lost and looking at the smug, grinning Yang. "You shouldn't have been able to do that."

"I told you," Yang said, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Blake decided not to respond and despondently packed the chess set away. Yang's scroll buzzed, and she took it out. "Oh, it's a message from Ruby!"

"What does it say?" Blake asked as she climbed back onto the bed, looking at Yang. Even though she'd lost, it made Blake feel a little happy that she found something they had in common.

"That they got to Patch safe, that Dad seems to like Weiss and…he did WHAT?!"

"What is it?"

"Apparently," Yang said, sounding annoyed, "Dad brought Ruby and Weiss a double bed so they could be comfortable. He never did that for me and any of my boyfriends! What the hell?"

"Maybe because he knew you'd get up to no good," Blake said teasingly, her fingers gently brushing Yang's leg.

"I would never…not if Dad was in the house, anyway. Besides, I only ever brought like, three boys home and Dad chased all of them off. I hope Weiss manages to survive."

"She will," Blake said, before moving to snuggle into Yang, "It's not like Weiss is just trying to get into Ruby's pants, is it?"

"Ruby doesn't wear pants," Yang said, playing up the 'dumb' in 'dumb blonde'. "She only wears those combat skir-." Yang was shut up when Blake climbed on top of her and kissing her hard, pinning Yang's arms up above her head.

Sometimes, Yang thought as they continued kissing, playing dumb had its advantages.

* * *

Taiyang was busying himself with cooking dinner while Ruby and Weiss set the table. After Taiyang had gotten back from his errands, he had a fairly cordial chat with Weiss about her life. Weiss seemed nice enough, if cagey on details of her life before Beacon. So far, Taiyang liked her: she was smart, engaging and most importantly didn't seem to be superficially interested in his daughter. Though he doubted that their relationship would have lasted that long if she was: Ruby was a bit naïve, but she wasn't stupid.

While Taiyang was preparing vegetables, he listened to the comments coming from the table, it was clear that living in the Schnee household meant Weiss had no clue about how to set a table.

"You really never helped set a table?" Ruby was asking incredulously. "Ever?"

"The closest I ever came was when I snuck into the dining room as a child to use my tea set," Weiss said, laying knives and forks down. "The only people who were allowed to do that sort of thing was the…help."

"You were going to say servants, weren't you?" Ruby asked.

"…Yeah," Weiss sighed, sounding dejected, "There's a bit of a class gap in Atlas: if you're not rich or in the military, there's really not a lot of options."

"You sound like you don't agree with that," Taiyang said, getting the potatoes out of the oven and starting to fill three plates with roast dinner.

"I used to," Weiss admitted, "But after spending time in Vale and how different everything is, I realised how flawed of a system Atlas has."

"Okay," Ruby said, slamming her hands on the table and making Weiss and Taiyang jump, "New rule: no more depressing talk about how bad Atlas is until I've had a chance to see it."

"Is that something you two are planning on doing?" Taiyang asked as he brought the plates over as Ruby and Weiss sat down.

"Well, we haven't made any definite plans," Weiss told Taiyang as he sat down with his own meal. "But I would like to take Ruby to see the good parts of Atlas one day."

"Okay, no more talk!" Ruby said loudly, "Eat now!" With that, Ruby began shovelling food into her mouth. Weiss and Taiyang looked at each other, sighed, shook their heads in unison and began to eat much more sensibly. There was a long silence between them all, and Taiyang decided now was the time to see how easily he could embarrass this one.

"So, Weiss," Taiyang said, setting his knife and fork down and steepling his fingers, "What exactly are your intentions to my daughter?" To Taiyang's surprise, Weiss only looked a little surprised. It was Ruby, choking on her food, that had the reaction Taiyang was hoping for.

"Dad!" Ruby managed to say, before she needed to swig some water from her glass to ease the pain in her chest.

"What?" Taiyang asked innocently, "I'd ask the same question of any of Yang's boyfriends."

"You still don't spring that on someone!" Ruby said indignantly, still massaging her chest.

"It's okay, Ruby," Weiss said, before addressing Taiyang, "To answer your question, sir, my only intention is to make Ruby happy. How I do that is subjective at this point though."

"Huh," Taiyang said, "That's pretty much the most thought out answer I've ever gotten to that question. Mostly I get nervous laughter and asked if someone can use the restroom. That and a death glare from my daughter." Taiyang gestured to Ruby, who was indeed glaring at Taiyang. "Kind of like that."

"Well, Yang did give me a heads up before we left," Weiss admitted, "So I did think about how best to word my answer. I do want to make a good first impression, Mr Xiao Long."

"Call me Taiyang, or Tai," Taiyang said, "And you've done very well so far. See Ruby, she's not embarrassed."

"That makes one of us," Ruby grumbled under her breath. Dinner continued, and Taiyang and Weiss made small talk while Ruby moodily ate her dinner.

* * *

"So, dinner was nice," Weiss said, trying to make conversation with a moody Ruby while she brushed her hair. They had both already changed into their pyjamas. Ruby was laying on the bed, glaring at the ceiling.

"If you're going to bring up that plate again," Ruby said, "I'm going to bring Zwei in here to pee on you."

"That's…" Weiss was going to say impossible, but Zwei had proven to be much smarter than the average dog. "I will pay for that." Weiss had broken a plate while she helped wash up the dishes. While Ruby and Taiyang had said it was fine downstairs and not to worry about it, Weiss still had a bit of a freak out over it.

"We have like, a billion plates, Weiss," Ruby said, still looking at the ceiling, "You're fine." Weiss was really confused right now: Ruby had been in a bad mood since dinner.

"Have I done something?" Weiss asked, setting her hairbrush down and turning her chair towards Ruby. "Plate aside, I thought everything went well at dinner."

"It's not dinner," Ruby said, still resolutely staring at the ceiling, "And it's not you. I'm annoyed at myself."

"Why?" Weiss asked, getting up and sitting next to Ruby, reaching out to touch her hand, "What's wrong?"

Ruby sighed deeply. "You've pretty much been the driving force of our relationship. I haven't really done much, and when Dad brought up 'intentions'…I don't know, I guess it just kind of bummed me out."

"So, you spending a week learning to walk in heels so we could dance together was 'not much'?" Weiss asked, stroking the back of Ruby's hand. "You don't _need_ to do anything, Ruby. Without you, I'd be the same stuck up brat I was when I met you. But because of your single-mindedness in getting me to be your friend, I have real friends for the first time in my life. I'm on my way to fulfilling my goal of being the best Huntress I can be." Weiss leaned down and kissed Ruby on the cheek. "And I'm happy with the love of my life. So, stop worrying, you're going to stress me out."

"I don't want to do that," Ruby said, linking her fingers with Weiss'. Weiss laid down next to Ruby, stroking her hair with her free hand. The bed was so spacious, it felt weird not being tightly pressed against Ruby. Not that Weiss would complain about that. Maybe later tonight.

"You're still worrying, aren't you?" Weiss asked after a minute. Ruby averted her eyes.

"…Maybe…" she said shiftily. Weiss shook her head, looking lovingly into those beautiful silver eyes.

"Ruby Rose," Weiss said softly, "When I met you, I thought you were childish, annoying and I honestly hated how enthusiastic you were about everything. I was mean, insufferable and rude to everyone I met."

"Where are you going with this, Weiss?" Ruby asked, curious how this was supposed to make her feel better.

"If I hadn't fallen in love with you," Weiss said, "I would have stayed that way. Do you know when I first realised how hard I'd fallen for you?"

"No," Ruby said after thinking for a minute. "You've never said."

"The food fight," Weiss told her, "The one that kicked off our semester. When you caught me after I was knocked into that pillar."

"When you faked being unconscious when I caught you?"

"Exactly," Weiss said, "You sounded so concerned that I might be hurt, I felt so warm inside I thought I was going to catch fire. That was when I knew that all I wanted to do was be with you."

"If you felt that way for so long," Ruby asked, thinking back to around that time, "Why'd you flirt with Neptune?"

"You noticed that?" Weiss asked, surprised. When Ruby nodded, Weiss answered, "I had no idea how to deal with my feelings. I thought for sure that they could ruin our friendship that I tried to bury them and tried to force myself to try liking Neptune. But you…you just wormed your way into my heart and soul. You became all I thought about. And now I'm with you, all I want is for us to be happy. So, that's why I'm content to do so much for you, because of all you've given me already."

Ruby's eyes shone with tears of happiness. Weiss brushed them away with a gentle touch of her fingers, before she had to get up and flick the light off. Making her way carefully back to the bed, Weiss pulled Ruby into an embrace and held her there. Weiss felt Ruby kiss her neck lightly. Weiss let Ruby do that for a while, before she felt Ruby nuzzle into her.

"You always know what to say, don't you?" Ruby asked as she started to drift off in Weiss' arms.

"I try," Weiss said, kissing Ruby's hair. "Goodnight, my love."


	17. Chapter 16

Hey all, thought I'd make up for the short last chapter and give you guys a longer one. Hope you enjoy! Thanks again to Emperor of Dreams for their review last chapter. If you don't want to leave a public review, a PM is fine, I don't mind. Wait, why are you even reading this authors note? Go and enjoy the story already!

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Chapter 16:

Ruby woke to the sun shining in her face. Blinking awake, she stretched and yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Ruby closed her eyes and turned, to kiss Weiss and wake her up, but her lips only found empty air. Ruby frowned, opening her eyes. Weiss wasn't in bed: that was unlike her. Weiss loved to sleep in if she could. Ruby could only think of one time that Weiss had ever woken up before her. Ruby looked over to her alarm clock. It was 6:30: scrap being awake before Ruby, Weiss was _never_ awake this early, ever.

Ruby got up and got dressed, a red shirt with her favourite Beowulf heart design and a pair of black shorts, before she headed downstairs. As she did, she noticed a familiar smell wafting up from the kitchen: pancakes? Signal was still open, so Dad would have gone to work. So, who was cooking? Ruby made it downstairs and looked into the kitchen to a sight that Ruby had thought completely impossible.

Weiss, dressed in the most casual shirt and pants combo (Ruby didn't know Weiss even wore pants) was at the centre of what could only be described as a whirlpool of entropy: the kitchen was a complete mess. On a tray was an empty glass and a small stack of…were those pancakes? They looked completely messed up, either in pieces or just misshapen. How do you even do that? Wait, where did Weiss even learn how to cook? That question was answered when Ruby watched Weiss flick through a battered old book. Ruby's eyes went wide: that was her mother's cookbook. Ruby frowned…she'd looked for that book forever and could never find it.

"But I've done that!" Weiss said in a frustrated tone, holding a hot pan in one hand, and Ruby was confused. "Just tell me why they won't flip!"

"Did you put oil in the pan?" Ruby asked out loud as she entered the kitchen, and Weiss let out a startled yell, almost dropping the pan.

"Ruby," Weiss breathed as she recovered from the shock, "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"That's what Dad's gonna have," Ruby said, gesturing to the mess around them, "when he sees what you've done to his kitchen."

Weiss looked around and seemed to notice the mess for the first time. "Oh," she said sheepishly, "I'm sorry. I'm not used to this domestic stuff."

"It's fine, it'll be clean before he gets back," Ruby said, waving her hands dismissively, "But why are you cooking, anyway?"

"You were so down last night, I thought I'd try and cheer you up," Weiss explained, "So I made sure I got up before you to cook you breakfast in bed. But they," Weiss gestured to her pile of misshapen pancakes, "decided they didn't want to cooperate. So I've been struggling to figure out-" Weiss was silenced when Ruby pulled her into a passionate kiss. After breaking it off and leaving Weiss stunned for a second, Ruby picked up one of the pancakes, rolled it up so it vaguely resembled a burrito and took a large bite, chewing briefly and swallowing.

Despite their rather meagre presentation, they tasted pretty good. The taste reminded Ruby of when she and Yang would help their mom cook. Well, Ruby called it helping, but in reality they just hovered around while Summer Rose expertly cooked pancakes, flipping them straight onto plates.

Ruby tore off a piece of pancake and fed it to Weiss, who looked rather taken aback by this before the taste kicked in. Weiss was surprised by how well it tasted. "Huh, I guess I can cook. How about that?" Ruby giggled to herself, smiling at Weiss.

After a breakfast where Weiss was introduced to the concept of getting fresh lemons and squeezing them onto pancakes, Ruby and Weiss were cleaning. Well, Ruby helped with most of it, but left Weiss the harder parts of it while Ruby leafed through her mother's cookbook.

"Explain why I get to scrub the pan while you get to relax?" Weiss asked, a little annoyed.

"House rules, Weiss," Ruby said, turning the page, "You make the mess, you clean it up." Weiss grumbled, but continued to scrub the pan. Ruby flipped another page, and found a folded piece of yellowed paper nestled in the pages. "Huh?"

"What is it?" Weiss asked, drying her hands and going over to Ruby, resting her chin on Ruby's shoulder.

"I don't know," Ruby told her, "I don't remember Mom ever bookmarking pages." Ruby plucked the paper out of the book and unfolded it, her eyes widening as she read it. "It's…it's Mom's cookie recipe."

"Your mom had her own cookie recipe?"

"I…" Ruby couldn't form words. Ruby and Yang had tried to bake cookies after their mom had disappeared, but they didn't know the recipe, so they never could do it quite right.

Weiss saw the look on Ruby's face, and decided not to push for more details. But this was not the start to a pleasant vacation: Weiss needed to cheer Ruby up, and she had an idea what to do. "Hey," she said, gently taking the recipe from Ruby's hands, "I've just had a great idea. Let's make a batch of cookies."

"What?" Ruby shook herself out the dark cloud forming around her mind.

"Let's make a batch of cookies," Weiss repeated, "I'm not a terrible cook, apparently, and we can even take some back to Beacon with us. Provided you don't eat them all." Weiss poked Ruby's stomach, teasing her.

"We're not having that argument again, are we?" Ruby asked, frowning.

"No," Weiss said, looking at the recipe, "I think I get why you were so adamant when I suggested you cut down on them."

Ruby smiled. "Okay," she said, standing up, "Let's get baking!" The couple went to work, and it was the most enjoyable thing Weiss had ever really done. There were no expectations on her to do well, no one to impress. It was like a weight had been totally lifted off of her shoulders. Ruby took charge, and while they followed Summer Rose's recipe, the couple found themselves being a little silly as they cooked.

After they _finally_ managed to get all the ingredients into the mixing bowl without one of them trying to cover the other in flour, Ruby found herself frowning as she mixed.

"What's up?" Weiss asked. "Why do you have frowny face?"

"Did you just actually say 'frowny face'?" Ruby asked, grinning as Weiss blushed and made an exaggerated showing of regaining her dignity. Just then, Ruby had a brainwave. "Here, keep mixing this." Ruby said, practically shoving the bowl into Weiss' arms.

"Okay," Weiss said, taking over the mixing, "But what are you doing?"

"I need a second mixing bowl," Ruby said, finding one hidden behind so much stuff that the kitchen was fast resembling a bomb zone again. "There we go," she said, and in a very short amount of time, had thrown together another batch of ingredients.

"Are we not making enough?" Weiss asked, confused.

"I was just thinking," Ruby said, as she fished around in the pantry, looking for something, "that these are Mom's cookies, and I want 'us' cookies as well."

"What do you mean?"

Ruby didn't answer, afraid that she'd jumped too far ahead, until her fingers closed around a small plastic bag. "Ta-da!" Ruby said as she came out of the pantry, presenting the bag to Weiss. "This is how we make 'us' cookies!"

"Are those white chocolate chips?"

"Yep!" Ruby said as she dumped the bag into the mixing bowl and started mixing up her own batch of cookie dough. "Now, there's a little bit of my mom and a little bit of you in these cookies."

"Ruby…" Weiss said softly, touched. Ruby grinned triumphantly, happy she'd finally found something to show Weiss how much she meant to her. They finally began to start making the cookies, and by the time the two batches were in the oven, Ruby was watching them bake with a childlike glee. Weiss decided to get a head start on the cleaning this time and started running water, preparing to clean the mixing bowls.

"Wait, what are you doing!?" Ruby asked, jumping up and bounding over to Weiss.

"Cleaning," Weiss said, confused again, "What, what's wrong."

"I know you probably didn't bake too much as a kid," Ruby said, taking the spoon from one of the mixing bowls, "But you can't clean before you lick the spoon."

"What?" Weiss was taken aback: that just sounded unsanitary. But then she watched Ruby lick the spoon and she found herself growing very hot under the collar. "Oh, okay," Weiss took the spoon from the other mixing bowl and, after hesitating briefly, licked it. Weiss then proceeded to just put the whole spoon in her mouth and clean it in one go: raw cookie dough tasted _that_ good.

"See?" Ruby said, grinning again as she watched Weiss do this, "Good, huh?"

"It does taste pretty good," Weiss said, before taking the spoon from Ruby and dumping them both in the sink. "But I can think of something that tastes even better."

"Oh yeah?" Ruby challenged, not getting the flirting behind that statement, "What?" Ruby found herself being pulled into Weiss' embrace and their lips meeting. Ruby thought the kiss would break off after a little bit, but was surprised when Weiss didn't let her go, but held onto her even tighter. Oh. Oooooh…

Ruby found herself getting a little excited, as well as nervous, when Weiss guided them both over to the table, lifting Ruby up so she was sitting on it. Weiss' hands started to wander, and Ruby began to shiver when they found the edge of her shirt and slowly slid under the fabric, touching her skin. Ruby's legs wrapped around Weiss and tightened around her almost on their own, and their kissing deepened and intensified. As Weiss' hands slowly drifted higher, Ruby found herself really wanting this all of a sudden…

The couple was once again interrupted by the loud ringing of Weiss' scroll. "Are you kidding me!?" Weiss said as she broke away from Ruby, fishing the scroll out of her pocket, "Every time!"

"Must be the universe's way of keeping us honest," Ruby said, trying to play it off as a joke. Though she was nervous about this 'next step', the constant interruptions were beginning to annoy her as well.

"Well, then the universe had better have something really important to say," Weiss said as she opened up the scroll to check Caller ID. Winter was still giving her grief over it, so Weiss was trying to make it a habit. Weiss heart dropped when she saw the name FATHER calling, and promptly launched the scroll across the room, almost hitting Ruby in the head.

"Woah, what the hell, Weiss?" Ruby asked, annoyed and then concerned when she saw the look on Weiss' face. "Weiss, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Weiss said, shaking herself to regain her composure, "I just got surprised by the caller, that's all." The call finally ended, and Weiss went over to grab her scroll. The scroll almost immediately started buzzing again when she picked it up, and she frowned hard as she cancelled the call.

"That wasn't your 'I'm surprised' face," Ruby said, folding her arms, "That was your 'I'm terrified and angry' face."

"How would you know?" Weiss asked, angrier than she meant to. Ruby recoiled a little, but stood her ground.

"Weiss, you've looked at me with both of those faces more than once," Ruby said quietly, biting her lip, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Weiss insisted, "It's fine." Ruby continued to stare at Weiss. "What?"

"Okay, Weiss," Ruby said after taking a deep breath, "We're on vacation, and I don't want to fight. So, I'm going to drop this for now. But when we get back to Beacon, I'm going to want an explanation. Deal?"

"…deal," Weiss agreed, looking down for a second, before looking up and smiling. Ruby smiled back, and a 'ding!' came from behind her.

"Oh, the cookies!" Ruby said, excitement overriding the tense atmosphere as she turned around and darted back over to the oven. Weiss found herself even more excited as Ruby carefully brought the cookies out and gently set them on the counter to cool. Ruby fanned them with her hands to try and quicken the cooling time, then when she couldn't wait anymore, she grabbed one of the regular chocolate chip cookies, the ones made purely from her mother's recipe and took a huge bite.

As the cookie crumbled and the taste hit her, Ruby was instantly taken back to when she was only two years old…

 _Ruby and Yang were sitting at the dining table, devouring the latest batch of cookies their mother had made._

" _Now girls," Summer Rose said, gently admonishing her daughters, "Leave some cookies for your father for when he comes back."_

" _But Mooooooom," Ruby said, crumbs all over her face, "I want to eat ALL of the cookies!"_

" _Yeah Mom," Yang agreed. "ALL the cookies."_

" _Okay, how about this?" Summer said, bringing over the back of chocolate chips and pouring them into a bowl. "You can eat all these chocolate chips, but only if you leave those cookies for Dad. Deal?"_

" _DEAL!" the girls said in unison as they began shovelling chocolate chips into their mouths…_

Ruby snapped out of the memory and turned to Weiss and hugged her tightly. "These are perfect," Ruby said, "They're just like I remember."

"I think I've found a new hobby," Weiss said, hugging her back. "But we really should get cleaning. We can make ourselves sick on cookies later."

"And with that sentence," Ruby said, tracing a finger along Weiss' collar bone, "I just fell in love with you so much more." Ruby pulled Weiss into another kiss. Then they had to clean the latest whirlpool of entropy. Cooking was far messier work than Weiss thought it would be.

* * *

Ruby, Weiss and Taiyang were relaxing after dinner (and cookies), watching one of Spruce Willis' action movies. Weiss was so glad right now that she had never taken up Jaune on his offer to go and see one of these before. Weiss was so bored and confused, she'd had a better time trying to get permission to go to Beacon. The only benefit was that Ruby had curled up and was using Weiss' lap as a pillow.

"So…why is he fighting everyone?" Weiss asked, struggling to follow the…could it even be called a plot?

"The mafia killed his best friend," Taiyang explained, not taking his eyes off of the screen, "so now he's on a rampage of revenge and kick ass fight scenes."

"But, if he's killing them," Weiss said slowly, "Then won't their friends try to kill him? It just becomes a total ridiculous cycle of revenge and…my head hurts." Weiss rubbed her temples.

"It's an action movie, honey," Ruby said, trying out the word sleepily. They hadn't done much today once they finished baking, and even the movie wasn't enough to keep Ruby awake, "You're meant to enjoy the action scenes, not follow the plot. It's just an excuse to see epic explosions anyway."

"…That literally makes no sense," Weiss said, playing with Ruby's head to purring noises from Ruby. Weiss tried to follow the movie, but her eyes kept going cross-eyed as she could pretty much feel her brain cells individually try and exit out of her ears.

"You don't like action movies, do you Weiss?" Taiyang asked, looking over at his daughter's girlfriend and her slowly deteriorating attention span.

"I'm trying to like it," Weiss said, "But it's just so…"

"Stupid?" Ruby offered quietly, half asleep now.

"Kinda, yeah," Weiss admitted, "Sorry."

"Meh, you don't like it, you don't like it," Ruby said, yawning. "This isn't one of Spruce's best anyway: after the third one in the series, they kinda just stopped caring. Alright," Ruby said, and sat up and stretched, "I'm going to go to bed. Coming, Weiss?"

"I'll be up in a minute," Weiss told her, "I'm going to give this movie one more chance to impress me."

"Don't hold out hope, Spruce," Ruby said to the TV as she leant down and kissed Weiss goodnight, "My girlfriend is the toughest critic out there."

"I have high standards," Weiss said, a little haughtily, "So sue me." Ruby giggled as she ascended the stairs. Weiss smiled and returned her attention to the movie. But she didn't really get a chance as the TV blinked off as soon as Ruby was behind her bedroom door.

"Okay," Taiyang said as Weiss looked at him, confused, "What do you want to talk about?"

"What makes you think I want to talk about anything?" Weiss asked as soon as she recovered from her surprise.

"Well," Taiyang started, "I'm no fast shooting detective on a revenge mission, but when you make it clear you're not enjoying yourself and don't take the opportunity to leave immediately when you have a chance, it makes me think you want to talk to me without Ruby around. Am I close?"

"…You are a lot more perceptive than I thought you'd be, sir," Weiss said, surprised.

"I'm going to take that as the compliment you meant it as," Taiyang said, "So, what's up?"

"Okay," Weiss said, before taking several deep breaths. No guts, no glory. "I would like your blessing to ask Ruby to marry me." Weiss was unsure what Taiyang's reaction would be. Weiss had expected either instant denial or enthusiastic acceptance like Yang had shown her.

Weiss had not expected Taiyang's expression to simply stay the same, or for him to stare at her with such intensity it felt like he was trying to bore into her mind. Weiss met the gaze as best she could, doing her best to remain calm.

"I know she's at Beacon, and that's why I haven't said anything before now," Taiyang said slowly, "But you do know that Ruby is underage, right?" Taiyang's voice was lower and steadier than it had been earlier. Weiss remembered Yang's warning that he was very protective of them, and now Weiss found herself wondering if this had been a good idea.

"I am aware of our age difference," Weiss said, choosing her words carefully, "And I've already resolved to wait until it's legal before I propose to her."

"So why are you asking for my blessing now?" Taiyang asked.

"Because," Weiss explained, "I wanted to ask for it in person, and I don't know when the next opportunity to do that would present itself."

Taiyang was silent for a while, thinking to himself. Weiss sat, nervously fidgeting in place. "Why?" he asked eventually.

"I'm sorry?" Weiss was confused by the question.

"Why do you want to marry my daughter?" Taiyang clarified.

"Because I love her," Weiss said easily, "She…well, to be frank, she saved me."

"What do you mean?"

"I…wasn't the greatest person when I met Ruby," Weiss admitted, "I'll spare you the details, but the short version is that I bought into my father's view of how the world and all the things I was taught as heiress. Without Ruby, that's all I was: Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. With her," Weiss smiled to herself, "With her I can be so much more than my name. With that huge heart of hers, she saved me from being bound to it."

"Huh," Taiyang said, clearly surprised, "I have to admit, you've surprised me, Weiss."

"How so?"

"I wasn't expecting Ruby to be with someone so…honest," Taiyang said, "I was sure her first partner would try and take advantage of her."

"Believe me, sir," Weiss said, "That's the last thing I want to do."

Taiyang nodded, seemingly satisfied, before standing up, "Come here," Taiyang stood up and walked over to a large cabinet. Weiss followed, a little concerned.

"Now, where did I put it," Taiyang said as he opened a drawer and started rifling through the contents. "Ah hah!" Taiyang pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Weiss.

"What's this?" Weiss asked, taking the folded piece of paper.

"The letter Ruby wrote me, before she remembered scrolls exist," Taiyang said, "To tell me about you."

Curiosity seized Weiss and she gently unfolded the paper and began to read:

 _Hey Dad,_

 _Sorry for waiting so long to write again. Not much has happened until now, at least nothing to write home about. Everything's fine, Yang and I are fine. You don't have to worry about us, but I know you will, so I don't know why I tell you that. I do have some really good news. Amazing news, for me anyway: I'm in a relationship! It's with a girl, so no 'where are my grandchildren?' jokes, okay? Yang's telling me to remind you that she hated those jokes._

 _I've written you about her before, but it's with my teammate, Weiss. It feels really serious too, so you don't have to worry about her taking advantage of me or wowing me with her money or something. I know you're probably rolling your eyes at me right now, but I love her. A lot._

 _I'm not really sure, because you NEVER talk about it, but I think it's like how you feel about Mom. I always have this warm feeling in my chest when I think about her and when I see her, it's like everything melts away. She's the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. And when we kiss…actually, you probably don't want to hear about that._

 _We're going to be getting a little time off before the Vytal Festival starts. We're entered in, and I hope we do well. But before that, I want you to meet Weiss, so we're going to come and visit if that's okay. I really want you two to get along as well, so please be nice when you meet her._

 _Say hi to Zwei for me!_

 _Ruby_

Weiss felt tears form in her eyes, and she blinked them away as she felt Taiyang's gaze on her.

"If you can keep making my daughter happy," he said to Weiss, "Then I have no problems with how you do that. But if you mistreat her in any way, Yang will have to get in line. I'm not letting anyone play with my little girl's heart."

"Thank you, Taiyang," Weiss said earnestly, handing the letter back to him. "I promise to do my best to live up to that."

"Well, thank you for finally using my name," Taiyang said, "But if everything goes well for you," Taiyang patted Weiss on the head in an affectionate gesture, "You're probably going to be calling me 'Dad' soon." With that, Taiyang left to go back to the movie, leaving Weiss standing alone.

"Dad…" Weiss whispered to herself, trying the word out. It felt strange to say that: the word almost felt wrong in her mouth. Her father was always just that: father. Formal, distancing.

Weiss preferred to say 'dad'.

Weiss left Taiyang to the movie, and joined Ruby in bed. Ruby was already fast asleep, and as Weiss wrapped her arm around her as she closed her eyes, ideas began to form in her mind. Now all she had to do was come up with the perfect proposal. Maybe something that involved lots of roses…


	18. Chapter 17

Hey everyone, sorry this one is a day late: had shit to do (re: buy a Nintendo Switch and go see Spiderman: Homecoming) so I didn't finish typing this one up till about...twenty minutes ago from time of uploading? I don't know but it wasn't that long ago. Anyway, here's the new chapter, please enjoy! Don't forget to tell me what you think! Please: creatives thrive on praise!

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Chapter 17:

The week had flown by for Weiss. While Ruby was right in that there wasn't much to do on Patch, Weiss was never really bored. They played with Zwei (Ruby had to convince Weiss not to hide Zwei in her suitcase: he didn't fit. She tried.) They went for long walks through the forest, occasionally coming across a Beowulf that needed to be put down, and they talked. They didn't even talk about anything important: they just talked. Weiss could swear they had a conversation just about some ad they saw on the TV, just so they could hear each other's voices.

But now they had to head to Beacon, with only one stop on the way. Weiss was being led down a path through the forest, Ruby holding her hand. Ruby had been quiet the whole trip here, and Weiss didn't want to say anything. She knew where they were going, and Weiss wasn't sure she was equipped to say anything. Soon, the forest ended, and Weiss was looking at a gorgeous view of Patch over a cliff-face. A stone memorial had been placed near the edge of the cliff, inscribed with the words:

SUMMER ROSE  
"Thus Kindly,  
I Scatter."

"Are you sure you want me here?" Weiss asked quietly, feeling nervous, "I can wait in the car."

"No, I want you here," Ruby said, her grip on Weiss' hand tightening a little. "This is really important to me." Ruby looked at Weiss and smiled a little sadly before letting go of her hand and walking over to the memorial. Ruby knelt down and began clearing weeds that had started to grow around it. It didn't take too long, and soon Ruby started talking.

"Hey Mom," Ruby said, and Weiss felt like she was intruding, "I know it's been a while since we've talked. But I've been away at Beacon, like I said. It's been amazing, and I was even made team leader! I guess it's true what they say, like mother like daughter. My team is called Team RWBY…and yeah, that does get a little confusing." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, and Weiss smiled in spite of herself. "I'm still not sure why Ozpin let me into the school, but I guess he'll tell me when he's ready. Oh, and some really important news: I'm with someone now! In a romantic sense, I mean," Ruby's hand reached out towards Weiss. Weiss took it and stood next to Ruby, feeling a little self-conscious.

"This is Weiss," Ruby said to the memorial, and Weiss found herself blushing, "She's amazing, and I love her and I wish you could have met her. You'd think she was amazing too." Ruby heard a noise and turned to see Taiyang and Zwei, the dog barking happily. "That's Dad, so we gotta go. The Vytal Festival is tomorrow, so we've got to get back to Beacon. I promise I'll be back soon." Ruby and Weiss turned to leave, before turning back. "It was good to talk." They went to leave, but Weiss turned back to look at the memorial.

"Give me a minute," Weiss told Ruby, before walking back to the memorial. "Uh," Weiss said, looking at the name, "I'm not sure if this is the right way to do this. But if you're watching down on Ruby, I want you to know that I love your daughter and I promise that I will make her happy. So…don't worry! I'll look after her." Weiss felt a little silly, talking to a hunk of stone, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Weiss went back to Ruby, and the couple went back, hand in hand, ready for whatever the world had to throw at them.

Yang was bouncing in her seat, waiting eagerly for the transport carrying Ruby and Weiss. Blake was sitting next to her, very calmly and without bouncing, reading her book.

"Could you please stop bouncing?" Blake asked calmly, though the constant movement was making it very hard to focus.

"I can't," Yang said, making a concentrated effort to stop, but just ended up looking like she was going to explode. "I need to know what Dad said to Weiss about marrying Ruby."

"Do you really think if he said no," Blake asked, not looking up from her book, "That's going to stop Weiss? This is Weiss we're talking about."

"I don't know," Yang admitted, "She seemed really set on asking him about it, so it might. She was grilling me on how to make a good impression. If she does ask, do you think she'll take Ruby to get married in Atlas?"

"I have no idea," Blake said, finally closing the book to look at Yang, "Why are you so set on this? Ruby might say no. Marriage is a big step, Ruby might not be ready to take it."

"I didn't think of that," Yang admitted. Since she found out what Weiss was planning, Yang had let her imagination go wild on the idea of the wedding. "And because weddings are super awesome! And even you've got to admit you're a little curious to see what a Schnee wedding is like."

"Probably catered by underpaid and overworked Faunus," Blake said, returning to her book. Yang felt a bit stupid after that comment: despite her friendship with Weiss, Blake had still remained critical of the Schnee family and their business practices.

"I'm sorry," Yang apologised, "That wasn't what I meant."

"I know," Blake said, "And you're right: a Schnee wedding would be interesting to see. But I'd rather see a wedding they'd actually enjoy, rather than the political mess I assume an Atlas marriage would be like."

"Think I could convince Weiss to let me plan it?"

"I think you have a better chance of convincing them to let Jaune plan it," Blake said, smiling a joking smile. Yang shook her head, then frowned as Blake looked up. "Oh, there they are," Blake said, cat ears twitching under her bow. Yang looked up and saw the transport descending down to the platform. Yang waved at it as she stood up, and she could see Ruby looking down from one of the windows, waving back. Once the transport landed, Yang ran forward and found Ruby, pulling her into a huge embrace.

"Oh, I missed you!" Yang said, crushing Ruby into her chest. Ruby returned the hug with as much enthusiasm as she could.

"I was only gone a week," Ruby said, before Yang let her go, "Oh, I have a surprise for you!  
Ruby reached behind her and pulled out a bag of cookies. "Ta da!"

"Cookies?" Yang said, confused, taking the bag and grabbing a cookie from it. The second she bit into the cookie, Yang's eyes widened. "These are Mom's cookies. How did you get Mom's cookies?"

"Weiss and I made them," Ruby said, smiling widely, "We found Mom's old recipe and made a huge batch."

"There would have been more to share," Weiss said, coming out of the transport with her and Ruby's suitcases, "But _someone_ ," Weiss made a gesture towards Ruby, "decided they wanted the lion's share."

"It's the cookies fault for being so delicious," Ruby said, sticking her nose in the air in her best Weiss impression.

"Anyway," Weiss said, changing the subject, "Do we have a date for our first Vytal Festival match?"

"Tomorrow morning," Blake said, plucking one of the cookies from the bag and trying it. It was pretty good, but it needed milk to be even better.

"Okay," Ruby said, "Once we get back to the room, we need to have a strategy meeting!"

"Maybe later," Yang said, grabbing Weiss by the wrist, "I need to borrow Weiss for a private talk." With that, Yang led a protesting Weiss away to parts unknown.

"What's that all about?" Ruby asked Blake, who was happily munching on a cookie.

"No idea," Blake mumbled, before walking off in search of milk to make this cookie taste even better. "Just Yang being Yang, I guess."

Ruby looked around, shrugged and grabbed her and Weiss' suitcase and headed back to the room. Vacation was over, time to get back to work.

"Yang," Weiss grunted, trying futilely to stop Yang from dragging her around. "What are you doing?" Yang didn't respond straight away and just continued to drag Weiss around Beacon until she found a secluded spot. Yang quickly walked around and after a second seemed satisfied that they were alone.

"Okay," Yang said, "Now what did Dad say?" Weiss looked at her askance, rubbing her wrist to try and soothe the pain in it.

"That's what you dragged me over here for?" Weiss asked angrily, "You couldn't have waited until later?"

"Of course not, I'm nosy," Yang said, "And I have a vested interest in you and Ruby being happy together. So, what did Dad say? Is he okay with you marrying Ruby?"

"Who's marrying Ruby?" A familiar male voice asked. Weiss turned in horror to see Jaune and Pyrrha walking over, Pyrrha hanging off of Jaune's arm. Of course they'd pick now to take their romantic stroll. Weiss only hoped that Yang might have some discretion, or come up with some half-baked reason for what they heard.

"Weiss wants to marry Ruby," Yang said, then realised what she'd said and winced as Weiss glared daggers at her. "Sorry, my brain didn't catch up to me in time." Weiss just glared, too angry to say anything.

"Oh," Jaune said, confused and looking between Yang and Weiss, "Isn't Ruby underage though?"

"Why is that the first thing everyone tells me?" Weiss asked to no one in particular.

"Ruby turns sixteen in a few weeks," Yang explained, "So Weiss can propose after that. We have a deal." Weiss sighed and shook her head. She would pay any amount of money for this conversation to end.

"Out of curiosity," Pyrrha said to Weiss, seeing her clear discomfort, "Have you thought about where you want the wedding to be held? Or haven't you planned that far ahead?"

"I haven't decided yet," Weiss told her, willing herself to stay calm. Pyrrha wasn't responsible for this conversation. "But I would really appreciate it if you and Jaune didn't tell anyone. I don't want Ruby to find out."

"You don't want Ruby to find out what?" Nora asked, apparently appearing spontaneously out of the ground, causing everyone to recoil in fear and surprise.

Ren appeared a little bit after Nora, out of breath and clearly having run a fair distance. "Nora…" he said between huge gulps of air, doubled over, "How'd you get here so fast?"

"My gossip sense was tingling," Nora said happily, not really noticing how exhausted Ren was.

"Okay," Ren said, finally getting some air back into his lungs, "But how did you get here from our room so fast? It's on the other side of campus."

"I just, uh…" Nora frowned and held up her hands, vaguely waving them in the air as she tried to figure it out. "I…don't…know…"

Thankfully, Weiss felt her scroll buzz, and for the first time in a week it wasn't her father. It was Ruby sending her a message, asking where she was. Weiss made to leave, but Nora had asked again what Weiss didn't want Ruby to find out.

"Weiss wants to ask Ruby to marry her," Jaune said, and Weiss froze. In that heartbeat, she seriously considered beating Jaune to death with her bare hands. It was very cathartic to imagine it, actually.

"Ooooh, that would be AMAZING!" Nora exclaimed, bounding over to Weiss, "Are we all invited? Can I be a bridesmaid? I've always wanted to be a bridesmaid! Do you both have bridesmaids? How does it work when two girls get married? Does one of you get a best man? Or would it be a best woman? Best girl? What would you call it?"

"OKAY!" Weiss exploded, unable to keep her anger in check. The loudness of the shout made Nora recoil and dart behind Ren, who looked at Weiss with the same level of fear. All of them did: Weiss very rarely raised her voice. "So we are all on the same page: Yes, I plan to ask Ruby to marry me. No, I don't know when I will propose, or where the wedding will be or even if Ruby will say yes. I am also _well aware_ of our age difference, and I don't care. So, until I actually ask her, I would VERY much appreciate it if no one outside of this group _knows about it!_ " With that, Weiss spun around on one heel and marched off.

After a moment, Nora spoke up. "So, would Weiss have a best man or best woman?" The group groaned and parted ways, leaving Nora alone and without an answer.

Weiss had just managed to calm herself down when her scroll began to ring. It was her father again. Weiss angrily cancelled the call, hurting her finger as she slammed it into the clear screen. When she finally made it back to the room, Weiss was still in a foul mood.

"There you are!" Ruby said brightly, but faltered once she saw the look on Weiss' face. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I want to punch something," Weiss said, going to start unpacking her suitcase, only to find that Ruby had unpacked all of their stuff already. "Did you do all of this?" Weiss asked, anger temporarily abated.

"Yeah," Ruby said, shrugging, "No one was around and I was kinda bored. So what's wrong? Did Yang say something?"

Weiss was about to improvise a story that explained her anger when her scroll rang again. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" she shouted at the scroll and threw it at the wall, making Ruby duck in fear at the outburst. The scroll continued to ring and Weiss just threw her face into her hands, crouched onto the ground and screamed in frustration. Why was this happening? Everything was good, why did it feel like everything had started to unravel? Weiss found herself wishing she and Ruby had just never returned to Beacon and stayed in Patch.

Weiss felt Ruby kneel down next to her, Ruby's strong arms wrapping around her. Weiss could almost feel tears welling in her eyes, but she kept them back.

"Weiss," Ruby said, and Weiss felt the concern in her voice, "Who keeps calling you? I can't do anything if you don't talk to me. Please." The scroll stopped ringing, then almost instantly started ringing again.

"My father," Weiss said, once the scroll stopped ringing and remained silent, "My father is the one who keeps calling." The venom in her voice made Ruby remember what Weiss said so many months ago, about how her childhood was difficult because her father was angry all the time. But what caused someone to call repeatedly even when it was clear the other person wasn't answering? What had Weiss' father done to her that made Weiss break down like this? Ruby just hugged her even tighter, trying to share… _something._ Anything to make her feel better.

"Why does he keep calling you?" Ruby asked eventually. Weiss looked up at her, then looked bitterly back at the scroll.

"I don't know," Weiss said quietly, "But I know it's not to talk to me about my day."

"Well, we have to fix the problem then," Ruby said, and left Weiss to pick up the scroll. After a second of messing with it, Ruby handed it back to Weiss. "There, now he can't call you anymore. Problem solved."

"You blocked him?" Weiss stood up, both aghast and a little impressed Ruby had done that. "I appreciate it Ruby, but you don't know him. He won't stop just because his calls aren't getting through, he'll find a way to-."

"Weiss," Ruby interrupted her, taking Weiss' hands in her own, "I don't care. I don't care that he's been harassing you, or if he's gonna summon the entire Atlesian military or something stupid like that. I care that he's making you miserable. And while I'm around, no one is making you unhappy, okay? It's just not happening."

"Ruby…" Weiss could have proposed on the spot then, but she settled for just hugging Ruby tightly. But then Ruby's scroll began to ring. Weiss almost panicked, thinking her father had found out about Ruby. But it wasn't Weiss' father, it was Professor Ozpin.

"Hello?" Ruby asked, curious as to why the headmaster was calling her.

" _Hello Miss Rose,"_ Ozpin said _"I'm sorry to bother you; how was your vacation?"_

"It was fine," Ruby said, frowning, "Is there something I can do for you, professor?"

" _I was hoping you and Miss Schnee could join me in my office. I have a…delicate matter to discuss and I'd like you both to be present for it."_

"Oh, okay," Ruby said, looking at Weiss with a confused look on her face. "We can come up now, if that's alright?"

" _Exactly when I had in mind. I'll see the both of you in a few minutes."_ Ozpin hung up and Ruby looked at her scroll in confusion.

"I wonder what Professor Ozpin wants," Ruby said out loud.

"I guess we'll have to go see," Weiss said, and the couple left their room hand in hand.

As the couple exited the elevator that led to Ozpin's very large and spartan office, they heard a discussion taking place between Ozpin, Glynda Goodwitch and a man that was wearing an Atlesian military uniform. Weiss tensed when she saw the man; he seemed familiar, and she had a sneaking suspicion as to who it was.

"I've spent the past hour trying to keep the man calm," the man was saying, "I don't like dealing with Jacques at the best of times, but as a parent, he does have certain rights. With Weiss being an Atlesian citizen, he can request her transfer and legally, you can't do anything about it."

"He's a whole continent away, James," Glynda said, glaring at the man, her arms folded, grip tight on her riding crop. "He has no power here. And you of all people should be aware of the rumours of how that man treats his family."

"There has been no evidence of that," the man argued hotly, "I have Winter under my personal command, and she's never so much as hinted at that sort of thing."

"I believe you'll find the downtrodden and abused tend to remain silent about their abusers out of fear, regardless of how strong they really are," Ozpin said, catching Weiss and Ruby exiting the elevator. "In any event, arguing about this is pointless. We can simply ask Weiss her opinion on the matter."

Glynda and the Atlesian man turned around to see Weiss and Ruby approach, and Weiss finally got a good look at the man's face. It was General James Ironwood, headmaster of Atlas Academy and commander in chief of the Atlesian military.

"Weiss," Ironwood said warmly, approaching and holding his hand out, "It has been too long, hasn't it?"

"It has, General," Weiss said, slipping into her formal voice as she shook his hand with her free one, not once letting go of Ruby, "What brings you all the way to Vale? I wasn't aware the other headmasters travelled for the Vytal Festival."

"Normally, we don't," Ironwood said, "But I was asked to provide some extra security in the wake of Roman Torchwick's crime wave. Just in case he or the White Fang decide to try something."

"He's also here at the 'request' of your father," Glynda interjected, and Ironwood glared at her. "Who apparently wants to transfer you to Atlas Academy, effective immediately."

"WHAT?!" Both Weiss and Ruby said in unison. Weiss backed away from Ironwood; without Myrtenaster, Weiss wasn't confident she could resist being forcibly taken away.

"That was spectacularly tactless, Glynda," Ironwood said, and Glynda frowned in response, adjusting her glasses.

"I don't believe in hiding things from the students under my care, General," Glynda said, voice like ice, "and I certainly don't believe in sugar-coating bad news just to make it easier to swallow."

"If I could interject before things escalate to violence," Ozpin said, and Ironwood moved out of the way so he could address Weiss clearly. "Your father has recently contacted me, suggesting that we must be overworking you because you are clearly too busy to talk to him. So, he wants to transfer you to Atlas Academy, to make communication a bit easier."

"I feel obliged to mention that he made a similar call to me," Ironwood said, "Only I was told you'd already approved of the transfer, Ozpin. Hence the argument the two of you must have heard."

"No," Weiss said, with the conviction of a fully-grown woman, "He doesn't want me to go to Atlas Academy. He wants me back in the Schnee mansion, where he can keep me passive and under his control."

"With all due respect, Weiss," Ironwood said, "But you are only eighteen. Are you sure your judgement isn't being," he eyed Ruby in a way that made Ruby feel very uncomfortable, "clouded?"

"My judgement has never been clearer, _sir,_ " Weiss said venomously, "And when my father calls you again and you tell him I have no intention of leaving Beacon, remind him that he and I made a deal that I could come here. One I bled over," Weiss' free hand moved to her face, resting on the scar that ran down the left side of her face, over her eye.

"Well, there you have it, James," Ozpin said, smiling slightly, "Please inform Jacques that I will not tolerate his attempted interference here a second time." Ironwood looked disappointed, hands clenched at his sides. But he bowed respectfully to Ozpin, and then to Weiss.

"I apologise if I caused any problems," he said to Weiss, "That wasn't my intention here."

"It's not you that's causing the problem, General," Weiss said to him, and Ironwood looked slightly happier before he left.

"He did not seem happy," Ruby said once the general was out of earshot.

"Dealing with Jacques Schnee can be a trying experience," Glynda told her, "I've never met the man in person and I want to strangle him."

"Try living with him," Weiss said bitterly, and she felt Ruby squeeze her hand lightly.

"Glynda, Miss Rose," Ozpin said, steepling his fingers as he rested his elbows on his desk, "I would like to discuss this situation with Miss Schnee in private, if that's alright?"

"Of course, professor," Glynda said, "Let's go, Ruby."

Ruby looked at Weiss, who nodded at her. "Okay, but I'll be waiting at the bottom of the tower," Reluctantly, Ruby let go of Weiss' hand and left with Glynda.

Once they were alone, Ozpin spoke again.

"So, Miss Schnee," he said, looking at her expectantly, "How would you like to stay in Vale?"


	19. Chapter 18

Hey guys, sorry this one is two days late: decided not to let me upload this until now. So, hope you like this one, I actually completely changed the ending for this one and moved what WAS the ending to the beginning of the next chapter. Though with my job, I'm not going to guarantee that the next one is on time either, everything has been busy busy busy on this end. But I'm still going to try for weekly updates, so don't worry! Anyway, go and read the chapter, let me know what you think etc.

* * *

Chapter 18:

Weiss stared at Professor Ozpin. "What do you mean, sir?" Weiss asked.

"I know Jacques Schnee by reputation," Ozpin said, "And I think we both know that this will not be the last we hear of him on this subject."

"You have no idea," Weiss said bitterly. "If he was desperate enough to ask the general for help, he really wants me back in Atlas."

"So we need a strategy," Ozpin said, standing up and picking up a piece of paper from his desk. "One that doesn't involve you being taken back to Atlas against your will."

"What exactly are you talking about, sir?" Weiss asked, very confused by the roundabout way this discussion was progressing.

"Sorry," Ozpin apologised, "I have a tendency to go on a bit. "But my theory is that your father's next step will be to petition the Vale's High Council to have you returned to Atlas. With the Schnee Dust Company's influence, I have no doubt they'll have little choice in meeting his demands. So, I have a solution." Ozpin handed the piece of paper to Weiss, who looked at it.

"This is an application for Vale citizenship," Weiss said, looking up at Ozpin. Ozpin nodded. "I don't get it: how is becoming a Vale citizen going to help me?"

"As a citizen of Vale, your father would have no legal recourse to have you taken to Atlas. Meaning you can stay here until you decide otherwise," Ozpin said, "But the only way for this to work-."

"Is if I give up my Atlas citizenship," Weiss finished for him. Ozpin nodded again.

Weiss looked at the piece of paper that held the one thing she had always wanted. Freedom. If she remained a citizen of Atlas, then her father would always have a way to control her. Even now, he was tightening his grip. Whatever way she chose to fight him, he always had a way around it. But with this, she could be truly free. Or at least free from any legal way to control her. Even outside of Atlas, she could fight to restore the Schnee reputation and she could live without the money. It would be difficult adjusting, but she had enough that she could get by on being payed as a Huntress. But to give up being an Atlas citizen? For all its faults, Atlas was home, and there were people who she would miss there.

Weiss thought of Ruby, and how she planned to be a part of her life. If she was a Vale citizen, would it make it easier to marry her? Ruby was Weiss' heart, her strength, the love of her life. There would never be anyone like her. Ruby was the one person Weiss would do anything for, for better or worse.

"Do you have a pen?" Weiss asked. Ozpin smiled and handed Weiss a slender ballpoint pen. It didn't take long for Weiss to fill out the application, and she handed it back to Ozpin, a fixed look on her face.

"I'll be sure to push this through as fast as I can," Ozpin promised her, "I do have some influence with the council myself."

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin," Weiss said, bowing and preparing to leave.

"Anything for my students, Miss Schnee," Ozpin told her, "And before I forget, congratulations on your relationship. I hope you and Miss Rose are very happy together."

"Thank you," Weiss repeated, taking her leave. Once she was in the elevator, she found herself feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The widest grin spread across her face and she started laughing the most genuine laughter she had ever laughed. She was free! Her father couldn't touch her anymore. It was all over, or it would be.

When the elevator finally reached the bottom floor, Weiss ran out and looked for Ruby. Ruby was kicking the toe of her boot on the ground, clearly bored of waiting. Weiss rushed over and tackled her, almost knocking Ruby over. Before Ruby could respond, Weiss kissed her hard on the mouth.

"What's gotten into you?" Ruby asked once the kiss ended, "You've done a complete 180."

"I have the best news," Weiss told her, smiling widely, "Can you get Yang and Blake to meet us on the roof of our building?"

"Yeah, but why?" Ruby asked, but only got kissed again before Weiss left, clearly on a mission. "What did Ozpin tell you?" she called out after her girlfriend, but only got silence as she watched Weiss leave. Weiss had gone from a near mental breakdown to over the moon in the span of a conversation.

Ruby shook her head in amazement before calling Yang, asking her to get Blake and meet her on the roof. This had better explain what was going on.

* * *

"That unbelievable asshole!" Yang said loudly, punching a hand with a closed fist. Weiss had just finished explaining everything that had happened. The phone calls, her father's plan to use Ironwood and Ozpin's plan to keep her in Atlas.

"A Vale citizen, huh?" Ruby said, almost wistfully, sitting on the edge of the roof and bouncing her heels off the side, "Is that really what you want though?"

"I don't know," Weiss admitted, "but if it means I can stay here, then I'll do whatever it takes to do that. If there are consequences, then I'll deal with them. Until then, I have my freedom, and that's all I've ever wanted."

"That's a mature attitude, Weiss," Blake said, standing next to Yang with her arms folded, "But why are we all up here? You could have told us this in our room."

"Because I want your help to break the last chain," Weiss said, pulling out a plastic card, "This card lets me access the Schnee family fortune. Think you can hit it, Yang?"

"Of course," Yang said, punching her fists together as Ember Cecilia activated, enclosing Yang's arms. Weiss took a second to look at the card. This was it: last chain to be broken. Weiss flicked the card into the air, and Yang took aim and fired. The blazing bullet hit the card and it exploded into little pieces, the tiny debris raining down on them.

"And it's done," Weiss said, breathing heavily, "I'll definitely be disowned for this, but Whitley can take over the company. I'll fix our name some other way."

"Who's Whitley?" Ruby asked as the group made its way back to their room.

"My younger brother," Weiss answered, "My father adores him, which isn't surprising really."

"How many siblings do you have?" Ruby asked, deciding to push her luck, seeing as Weiss was in a good mood.

"Only the two," Weiss said.

"Uh, guys?" Yang said, looking into their room, "Were we expecting any visitors?"

"No," Ruby said as they approached, "Why?"

"Coz there's a woman in our room, and she's kinda hot," Yang said, earning an elbow in the ribs from Blake.

Ruby and Weiss looked into the room and saw a tall, commanding woman standing in the room. She was wearing a white uniform that showed off her impressive arms, a sabre hanging from her waist. Her white hair was tied in a severe bun, and she was gently pushing Ruby's bed, making it swing.

"Weiss," the woman said, turning and revealing what looked like a more severe, older Weiss, "I know you wanted bunk beds as a child, but this is taking it a little too far, isn't it?"

"Winter!" Weiss pushed into the room, intent on hugging her sister, but she stopped herself, remembering her lessons on respect. "Your presence honours us," Weiss said, curtsying. Winter Schnee shook her head and walked over, embracing her sister after rolling her eyes.

"I'm not on duty right now, Weiss," she said, and Weiss returned the hug with as much strength as she could muster.

"I wasn't expecting you." Weiss said once the embrace was over, "What brings you to Vale?"

"General Ironwood gave me some time off, seeing as Roman Torchwick was dealt with and it was determined no more security was needed for the Vytal Festival," Winter said, "So I thought I would come and see how you were doing in person. Now, which one of these young women is Ruby?" Winter cast her eye over Ruby, Blake and Yang. She could guess, but Winter preferred to know for sure.

"That would be this one," Yang said, putting a proud arm around Ruby, "This is Ruby, this is Blake," she gestured to Blake, who gave an awkward wave, "And I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister." Yang let go of Ruby and walked over proudly, thrusting her hand out. Winter looked at Weiss, who just shrugged, before taking Yang's hand and shaking it.

"A pleasure to meet you, Yang," Winter said stiffly, unsure what to make of the grinning blonde woman in front of her. Ignoring Yang for now, Winter walked over to Ruby, who laughed nervously as those piercing blue eyes stared at her. "So," she said after a moment of silent staring, "You're the one who captured my sister's heart? I must say, you are not what I expected."

"Uh," Ruby managed to get out, "Thanks, I think?"

"Hmm," Winter pursed her lips and continued to study Ruby, who continued to feel very uncomfortable. Yang and Blake turned very slowly to look at Weiss, looking for some sort of explanation. Weiss shrugged, smiling. Winter was like this with the various suitors that had approached Weiss once she hit fifteen. Most of them ran away screaming, others politely decided that Weiss wasn't worth the effort and of the three that could handle Winter were promptly rejected by Weiss herself. Ruby, however, was getting off easy: Winter already approved of her, this was just her making sure Ruby was 'up to snuff'.

"Well," Winter said finally, "I'd like to get to know you a little better, Ruby. Would you and Weiss join me for dinner tonight?"

"Uh, sure," Ruby said, finally getting her brain into gear, "Yeah, okay."

"Excellent," Winter said, "Now, if you'll excuse me. Weiss, I'd like to see the rest of Beacon. Join me for a walk." Winter stepped outside, and as Weiss made her way forward she stopped to hug Ruby tightly.

"She likes you," she assured Ruby quietly, "If she didn't, she'd say so." With that, Weiss left to show her sister around.

"Well," Yang said, after a moment of stunned silence, "she seems…nice?"

"She seems a little prudish to me," Blake said, as she sat on her bed.

"Well, she is a Schnee," Yang said, as she sat next to Blake, and they began talking. Ruby looked towards the door. That was not how she thought her first meeting with Weiss' family would go. But she'd already made her impression when Winter called her all those months ago, so worrying about it now wasn't going to do anything. So, all she had to do was make it through dinner. Winter was the only family Weiss had ever talked happily about, so it was the only member of Weiss' family that Ruby cared about impressing.

* * *

"So, that's Ruby," Winter said to Weiss as they walked around Beacon, "I must say, she's younger than I was expecting."

"She's only fifteen," Weiss said, and caught a look from Winter, "But she's a genius when it comes to fighting Grimm, so Ozpin admitted her to Beacon two years early."

"That is impressive," Winter said, "Considering Beacon's prestige among the academies and her age, she must be good."

"She's amazing," Weiss said, "Though she can still be a bit childish sometimes. I do have to reign her in a little. Please don't be too hard on her at dinner; I do know how you can be."

"I've no intention of driving her away," Winter said, "I just want to get to know my future sister-in-law. Speaking of which," Winter gave her sister a look, "I couldn't help but notice the lack of a ring on Ruby's finger."

"Ah," Weiss said, "Yes, that would be because I haven't proposed yet." Weiss had told Winter of her plans, which Winter supported wholeheartedly.

"Why the hesitation?" Winter asked, looking at Weiss with sisterly concern.

"I'm not hesitating," Weiss said, "But legally, I have to wait until Ruby is sixteen. I promised Yang I'd wait to propose until then."

"Fair enough," Winter said, "And once you've proposed and she's said yes, that's when you'll take her to meet Father?"

"Don't even joke about that," Weiss said, "Actually, that's something I need to talk to you about." Weiss explained everything that had happened the past week. Winter listened intently, her facial expression never changing until Weiss finished.

"I made the right decision, didn't I?" Weiss asked, insecurities leaking through for a moment. Winter looked at Weiss and sighed deeply.

"I think," she said, "that you've made a rash decision. But," she added, seeing Weiss' crestfallen look, "I don't think that it was the wrong one. I'm proud you were able to do it. Just be careful of the repercussions."

"I will," Weiss said, and smiled at her older sister.

"Though now Father has to spend time training Whitley," Winter said, "Though considering his attitude, that will be more a punishment on Father than him." The sisters shared a laugh at that. "Now, about your proposal," Winter said, getting back on track, "What have you got planned?"

"I was thinking something with roses," Weiss said, revealing her current plans to her sister. It felt good to talk about this sort of thing without worrying about if Ruby was going to hear.

* * *

The day passed on, and as the sun began to make its way towards the horizon, Team JNPR were out in the grounds. Jaune and Pyrrha were sparring with their swords, moving at a slow pace. Almost like a dance more than a sparring session. Nora was using Ren's lap as a pillow while Ren watched the manoeuvres that Pyrrha and Jaune employed, their swords sparking as they met.

"Don't go edge to edge, Jaune," Ren called out from the side, "You'll just dent the blade."

"Thanks Ren," Jaune called back and switched his grip, and the fight went from Pyrrha's favour to being a little more even. Jaune had come a long way since he first started at Beacon, but he still had a really long way to go before his combat skills were up to everyone else's level. It was a good thing Jaune had a tactical mind: it was the only thing that really kept him above water.

Jaune went for an overhead strike, and Pyrrha quickly and deftly swept his legs out from under him, sending him to the ground. Jaune laid there, sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily.

"That was a dirty trick," Jaune said breathlessly.

"Only in a tournament fight," Pyrrha said as she held out a hand for Jaune to pull himself up with. "Outside of that, anything goes, honey." Jaune smiled as Pyrrha kissed him.

"I don't think I like 'honey'," Jaune said, frowning at the term, "Though I'll happily go with 'sweetheart'."

"Sweetheart then," Pyrrha said, kissing him again. They didn't do enough of that; all the time they spent as a group, they weren't really affectionate together except in their private sparring sessions.

"Hey, Jaune, Pyrrha," Nora said suddenly, "Do you guys ever think of getting married?" Everyone stopped and stared at her. Nora had a tendency to blurt out whatever was going through her mind, but none of them were expecting that to come out of her mouth.

"Where did THAT come from?" Jaune asked incredulously.

"Well, Weiss wants to marry Ruby," Nora said, "And it kinda just got me thinking. You guys have been together about as long as they have. I was just wondering if you'd thought about it."

"Well," Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head and unsure if this was going to get him into trouble, "I haven't, not seriously anyway." He looked at Pyrrha, "Would you want to?"

"I'm…not sure," Pyrrha admitted, looking at her shoes, "I'd like to, but not now. Maybe after we've graduated Beacon."

"I can get behind that," Jaune said, leaning in to kiss Pyrrha again.

"I bet," Nora said snidely, earning a glare from Jaune and an embarrassed Pyrrha. "What?"

"Don't be snide, dear," Ren said, before making to stand, "We should get back, it's getting late now." Jaune and Pyrrha retrieved their gear and started ahead. Nora hung back with Ren, frowning. "What's on your mind?"

"Do you think about it?" Nora asked, "Getting married, I mean."

"I don't need to," Ren said, smiling at her as he held out a hand to her, "We've been together so long, we're practically married already." Nora looked at Ren strangely, before cracking a huge grin and grabbed his hand, dragging him along after Pyrrha and Jaune.

After a bit of walking, Pyrrha and Jaune stopped suddenly, causing Nora and Ren to bump into them. "What gives?"

"Who's that with Professor Ozpin and Glynda?" Jaune asked, pointing. Everyone looked to see Ozpin and Glynda and two men they didn't recognise. One was in an Atlesian military uniform, with a square jaw and a weird patch of metal on his skull.

"Oh, I've seen him around," Nora said, "I think he's the headmaster of Atlas Academy. General…Steeltree or something."

"Who's the other guy?" Jaune asked. Nora shrugged as they looked at the man with greying white hair, a big moustache and…bright blue eyes that looked very familiar. He was clearly losing his temper with Ozpin, who remained stony faced. After a moment, the man threw his hands up in the air and stalked off. The Atlesian man looked at Ozpin before chasing after the other man. Pyrrha frowned: she'd seen the other man…somewhere. But where?

"Wait…" Pyrrha said, memories stirring in her mind to when she first met Weiss, years ago now, after her first win in the Mystral regional tournament. Weiss was the celebrity guest, travelling with… fear crept onto her face as things slipped into place. "I know him. We need to find Weiss, now." Pyrrha went off at a run, the rest of JNPR struggling to keep up.

"Pyrrha, what's wrong?" Jaune asked, concerned. "Why are you freaking out? It's freaking me out."

"I know why Weiss has been moody lately," Pyrrha said, "I've kept my peace out of respect, but she's in danger."

"What are you talking about?" Ren asked, easily keeping pace with Pyrrha as they navigated Beacon at speed, barrelling through students and teachers alike. They finally made it to their floor, Pyrrha bursting through RWBY's door. Breathing heavily, Pyrrha looked around: only Yang and Blake were here, currently jumping up from Blake's bed in surprise.

"Where's…" Pyrrha coughed and drew in shaky breaths: the rest of JNPR had taken to leaning on the walls outside. "Where's Weiss?"

"She just left with Ruby and her sister," Yang said, pulling her jacket back on and very clearly annoyed that she and Blake had been barged in on. "Why, what's so important?"

"Where have they gone?" Pyrrha asked, kicking herself. If she'd been a little faster…

"Pyrrha," she felt Jaune put a hand on her shoulder, "What's going on? Who was that guy?"

"What guy?" Blake asked, adjusting her bow, "And why'd you just barge in?" That question was ignored as Pyrrha realised she needed to explain herself.

"I first met Weiss years ago," Pyrrha said, "And she was miserable because her father was dragging her around. She and I snuck away a few times just to goof off, but when her father caught us…it was the most scared I've ever been."

"Wait…you saw _her father_?" Yang asked, the annoyance in her voice replaced by fear. Blake's face froze as she looked at Yang, who looked ready to break something.

"What is going on?" Jaune asked, throwing his hands in the air.

"I'll fill you in on the way," Yang said, pulling out her scroll, "I need to speak to Ozpin: does anyone know where he is?"

"We saw him with Weiss' dad," Nora said, jumping in, "But they all left in a hurry: maybe he's back in his office?"

"Then we need to go, now," Yang said, taking charge and leading everyone to Ozpin's office. "Come on, Ruby, pick up," she said as she held the scroll to her ear. "Damnit, she must be having fun. Of all the times," Yang said, putting her scroll away. The six of them dashed off to find Ozpin. He'd know what to do.

This was going to be bad. Very, very bad.


	20. Chapter 19

Hey guys, sorry this one is a week late: I had to totally rework this one basically from the ground up. This one was tough, and hopefully you can see why. Please leave a review or shoot me a PM to let me know what you think. 

* * *

Chapter 19

"Oh," Ruby said, as she looked at the very fancy restaurant that Winter had chosen for dinner, "Oh wow." Ruby and Weiss had only just arrived (Winter had sent a car for them) and Ruby was in awe. The place felt like a fancy ballroom had been filled with tables, with waiters and waitresses moving professionally between tables full of people. Despite Ruby wearing the red and white dress Weiss had brought for her so long ago, she felt very underdressed.

"Are you alright?" Weiss asked, touching Ruby's arm, "If you want to go, I can explain to Winter." Weiss knew this sort of thing made Ruby very uncomfortable.

"No, no I'm okay," Ruby said, a little too quickly, "I mean, you spent a week with my dad, I can make it through one dinner with your sister."

"If you're sure," Weiss said, before leaning in and whispering, "Thank you." After speaking to the concierge, who allowed them into the restaurant, Weiss saw Winter wave them over. Winter had reserved a table for the three of them, and Weiss played the chivalrous date and helped Ruby into her chair. Winter was drinking wine, the bottle kept in a bucket of ice. She hadn't ordered any food yet.

"I'm glad you could make it, Ruby," Winter said to her after saying hello to the both of them, "Weiss told me you're not really a fancy restaurant sort of person." Winter poured herself a new glass of wine and offered to pour one for Weiss, who accepted. Ruby declined when Winter offered one to her, and just poured herself a glass of water from the jug on the table.

"It's not really my thing," Ruby told Winter, after taking a sip of the cool water, "I'm just a girl from Patch: before now, I think I went to one restaurant like this and that was for Yang's sixteenth birthday."

"That's fair enough," Winter said, "Weiss and I practically grew up in fancy restaurants." After they ordered food (Weiss had to translate the names of the dishes for Ruby), Winter and Ruby engaged in pleasant conversation. Mostly about Ruby and her upbringing, and Winter offered some insight into some of Weiss' behaviour. Weiss grinned and excused herself from the table and found the ladies room. When she was sure she was alone, Weiss pulled out the small box that contained the engagement ring that she planned to give to Ruby.

Winter had convinced Weiss to bring the ring to dinner, on the off chance the right moment to propose presented itself. As Weiss looked at it, she found herself not wanting to wait anymore.

"Ruby," Weiss said to her reflection in the mirror, "Would you make me the happiest…no, that's stupid. Ruby, will you do me the honour of…no, that's terrible." Weiss would have kept practising, but her scroll buzzed. It was from Ruby. Weiss' face fell as she read the message and rushed over to the exit, opened the door as discretely as possible and looked out towards where Ruby and Winter were sitting. A tall man with greying white hair in a white suit was talking to them.

It was her father. He had tracked her down.

* * *

Ruby, as covertly as possible, placed her scroll back into the purse Blake had let her borrow (her logic: black went with everything), while Weiss' father talked to Winter. Ruby had felt what Professor Port had referred to as the 'killing intent' of Grimm before. But being in the presence of this man was making Ruby's Aura go haywire. Now she understood exactly why Weiss reacted the way she did. The way he talked made it clear Jacques didn't value Winter as a person in any way. Ruby could only imagine that if this was the way he talked to Winter, how he would talk to Weiss.

Ruby was snapped out of her thoughts as the conversation steered away from pleasantries. "Have you seen your sister at all?" Jacques was asking, casually. Or what passed for casually in his own mind, Ruby guessed. His voice was too sharp to sound friendly, even when he was trying to. Winter, to her credit, didn't falter under his gaze, she simply met it with steely resolve.

"Not yet," Winter lied, as easy as breathing, "I've been busy having dinner with my protégé, Ruby." Ruby gave Winter a 'what the hell are you doing?' look, as Jacques turned his gaze to her. His eyes were almost the same shade of blue as Weiss'. This did not help Ruby like this man. At all. "Atlas is starting a cross-academy initiative with Beacon, and Ruby was chosen to represent Beacon's students, seeing as she's the youngest Huntress to ever be admitted."

"You must be proud, to work with a Huntress as skilled as my daughter," Jacques said, probingly. Ruby met his gaze, and did her best not to falter.

"It's a true honour, sir," Ruby said, the venom in her voice surprising her. But looking into the face of this man and knowing how Weiss felt about him, Ruby felt something she very rarely had felt about anyone before: hatred.

"Ruby, you're a student of Beacon, yes?" Jacques asked, "Would you happen to know my youngest daughter, Weiss Schnee?"

 _Yes, we're completely, deeply in love and soon you won't be able to come near her again, you horrible excuse for a human being!_ "Not personally, no," Ruby lied, not looking away from Jacques. "But I've seen her around."

"Hmm," Jacques said, clearly wanting to ask more questions. But the ringing of his scroll distracted him. "Yes?" he answered sharply. "Where? Keep her there, James, I'm on my way." Without so much as a goodbye, Jacques dashed away, shoving past waiters who just happened to be in his path.

Ruby breathed a sigh a relief and sank into her chair. "That was nerve-wracking," she said out loud.

"You handled my father better than most businessmen," Winter told her, giving Ruby a smile. "That was impressive."

"Thanks, I guess," Ruby said, before sitting up as Weiss came back, looking forlorn. "Hey," Ruby watched as Weiss sat down, "We got rid of him."

"For how long though?" Weiss asked quietly. Winter frowned: this would not stand. As luck would have it, Weiss' scroll began to ring.

" _Weiss! About time someone picked up!"_

"Yang?" Weiss asked, putting the scroll on speaker, everyone leaning in to listen. "You're on speaker."

" _Good: RUBY!"_ Ruby recoiled as Yang raised her voice, _"Pick up your scroll next time!"_ A deep sigh rattled through the speaker, _"Anyway, Ozpin wants to talk to you all."_ The sounds of handing the phone off came through, and Ozpin's voice came through.

" _Right,"_ Ozpin said, _"I'll be brief: General Ironwood is distracting Mr Schnee with a wild goose chase. Weiss, I'm afraid your citizenship papers won't be going through for a week. So we need to keep you away from your father."_

"How do we do that?" Ruby asked, looking at Weiss.

"I can take Weiss away from Beacon," Winter offered, and Ruby and Weiss looked at her. "If you're not at Beacon," Winter explained, "it'll be harder to find you."

"I'm not going anywhere without Ruby," Weiss said firmly. Ruby looked between the sisters: this was not how she thought this night would go.

"Wait, what about our match tomorrow?" Ruby asked, looking at Weiss, "If we don't turn up, everyone is going to notice."

" _If I may interject,"_ Ozpin said, _"Winter, how many people can you carry in that transport of yours?"_

"Plenty," Winter said, then frowned at the question, "Though there's not a lot of privacy: I'm the only one with a cabin. Why, what do you have in mind?"

" _I have six people here concerned with Weiss' wellbeing,"_ Ozpin informed her, _"So, in the spirit of the Vytal Festival, I'm launching a cross-kingdom initiative. Teams RWBY and JNPR will be joining you for an extended mission, to see how a Huntress from a different kingdom operates. The mission should last at least a week."_ Everyone caught on then: get everyone out of Beacon so it was less suspicious than if Weiss and Ruby were to just suddenly disappear.

"When do we leave?" Ruby asked, reaching out for Weiss. Weiss took her hand and they interlaced their fingers, drawing solace from the contact.

" _Tonight,"_ Ozpin said, _"I'm arranging lodgings for you all as soon as we're done. Head straight for the landing platforms at Beacon."_

"At least we can get changed on the ship," Winter mused, "Okay, let me pay for our meals and we'll be there soon."

Winter called the car as soon as the call with Ozpin was done. At least now she had some more time to get to know Ruby. That was a very thin silver lining in an otherwise dark and stormy cloud.

* * *

"This is a dangerous game, Oz," Ironwood was saying, "I've had Jacques running around Beacon for the last ten minutes. Sooner or later he's going to figure it out." The two headmasters were waiting on the landing platform by Winter's ship. Everyone else had already arrived, with bags packed for a trip. "You could have at least let me escort them here."

"Doing that would have alerted Jacques to our plan," Ozpin said calmly, "Our strategy relies on him not having any evidence that we're deliberately circumventing him."

"Evidence or not," Ironwood said, folding his arms, "Jacques is not a stupid man, Oz. He'll figure out we know something he doesn't."

"All we need is a week," Ozpin said, "After that, he won't be able to do anything without jeopardizing the peace between Vale and Atlas."

Ironwood was saved from having to think of a response when Winter, Weiss and Ruby came up, walking fast and looking over their shoulders. "Specialist Schnee," Ironwood said, saluting her, "Hurry up, you need to be gone ASAP."

"Yes, sir," Winter said, saluting back and climbing aboard the transport. Weiss and Ruby hesitated, looking at Ozpin. The worry on their faces was palpable.

"Don't worry," Ozpin assured the both of them, "We'll have you back at Beacon within a week. Just think of it as an extended vacation."

"Thank you, both of you," Weiss said, bowing to Ozpin and Ironwood, before she and Ruby climbed onto the transport and it finally began to lift off.

Ozpin watched as the ship left, carrying the eight brightest and best first year students he'd had in a long time. It was a pity that they'd miss the festival: Ozpin had been looking forward to seeing how they all had improved. It was funny, the teachers could instruct them on how to deal with monsters and other Huntsman and Huntresses. But they couldn't prepare them for angry billionaires.

"Professor Ozpin!" a man shouted, and Ozpin turned to see Jacques Schnee stalking towards him, fists balled and moustache twitching angrily. "I've been wandering this kingdom all night: where is my daughter?" Ozpin rarely cracked a smile: being the headmaster of a prestigious academy was a stressful job. But seeing the most reviled person in the Four Kingdoms frothing at the mouth because he couldn't have what he wanted. That made Ozpin want to grin.

"Mr Schnee," Ozpin said jovially, "A pleasure to see you again so soon. I'm afraid Weiss just left: she's going on an extended _secret,_ " he emphasised the word, "mission. I'm afraid she won't be back for a while."

Jacques could have punched Ozpin. "Bring her back, or I swear I'll…"

"You can't threaten a headmaster, Jacques," Ironwood said, attempting to pacify the raging businessman.

"Don't tell me what to do, James," Jacques spat, shoving Ironwood's hand away, "She is MY daughter, and she belongs at home!"

"Your daughter," Ozpin said, his voice level and calm, but with the ferocity to break concrete, "has a name, Mr Schnee. And Weiss has made it abundantly clear that she does not wish to return to under your 'watchful' eye. That is why she requested the mission. My advice to you is to learn to respect her wishes."

"She is MINE!" Jacques roared, throwing a punch at Ozpin's face. Ozpin slammed his cane into the ground, and a bright flash of green light sent Jacques flying, leaving him sprawled on the ground at Ironwood's feet.

"Please leave my school, Mr Schnee," Ozpin said courteously, "and don't come back. James," Ozpin nodded to Ironwood, "Get him out of here." With that, Ozpin twirled his cane as he left, supressing the urge to whistle a happy tune.

* * *

Weiss was fuming as she finished changing out of her date dress and into her usual outfit. This was not how tonight was supposed to go! They weren't meant to be running away to some unknown location. Weiss wanted to propose, damnit! Weiss resisted the urge to hurt her hand by punching the wall.

Weiss exited her sister's cabin and joined the rest of her friends in the crew quarters. Winter was in the cockpit with the pilot, but the rest of the crew was not here.

"Hey," Ruby said as Weiss joined her, Ruby reaching for Weiss' hand.

"Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked, concerned as she looked at Weiss. JNPR was on one side of the room, RWBY on the other. Yang and Blake were busy making sure they hadn't forgotten anything: their weapons were here, and some clothes, but they were in a rush.

"No, Pyrrha," Weiss said bluntly, tightening her grip on Ruby's hand. "No, I'm not alright."

"I'm still kinda lost," Nora said, looking between Pyrrha and Weiss, "Is your father really that bad?"

"Now's not the time, Nora," Ruby said sharply, making Nora recoil from her. That was…weird. Ruby was always smiles and sunshine: Nora had never seen her angry before. How bad was this guy that he could make Ruby angry?

Travel was a few very tense, very silent hours as no one was sure what to say. But when the transport began to descend, they all went to look out a window. Below them was a clear area in a forest that Ruby, Yang and Weiss recognised immediately.

They had come back home, to Taiyang's house.

"Guess we all get a vacation," Ruby said quietly, not letting go of Weiss. For the first time in forever, Ruby was not that glad to see home.

* * *

"I'm sorry the accommodations aren't great," Taiyang apologised as he was setting out sleeping bags in his lounge, making it look like a big sleepover. Winter had taken her ship to hide it somewhere else and planned to return in the morning. "I wasn't expecting anyone until a few hours ago, I didn't have much time."

"It's fine, sir," Jaune said as he helped by distributing pillows with Yang.

"Thanks for everything, Dad," Yang told him, "I know we're kinda springing this on you."

"It's fine," Taiyang said, smiling at his eldest daughter, "Ozpin explained, and anything I can do to help my girls is no problem."

Ren and Nora were outside, making sure they weren't in any danger and taking some time to get away from the craziness. Blake was cooking, though more for the sake of something to do than because anyone was hungry. Weiss was sitting with her head in her hands, and Ruby was restlessly pacing, not sure what she could do.

Pyrrha was slowly walking around, looking around at everything. "You have a lovely home, Mr Xiao Long," she said, desperate for some conversation.

"Thank you, Miss Nikos," Taiyang said, "I actually built the house myself, with a little help. It was finished just a little bit before Yang was born. Though it was pretty empty for a long while, I was on missions so much I never had time to furnish until I took a job teaching at Signal."

"Well, you've done very well for yourself," Pyrrha said, and once again the group lapsed into silence. After a while, Taiyang grew uncomfortable with the silence and turned on the TV so they could at least be silent with some noise. Once everyone was distracted with the TV, Ruby went over to Weiss, tapping her on the arm and silently gesturing to the stairs. Weiss understood what Ruby was trying to say. Weiss stood up and the two of them left to the solitude of Ruby's room.

"How are you holding up?" Ruby asked once the door closed.

"I'm angry," Weiss told her girlfriend, "Everything was going great, and then _he_ turns up and everything falls apart! If it was just my life he was trying to ruin, I'd take the fight to him. But it's not just mine anymore, it's yours and everyone else's." Weiss suppressed a scream and just seemed to slump. "I don't know what to do, Ruby."

Ruby was unsure what to do. Weiss seemed so defeated, Ruby had no idea how to cheer her up. What Weiss needed was a distraction, something to keep her mind off of this problem. The solution struck Ruby like a flash of lightning. Ruby turned and, after a moment's hesitation, locked the door.

"Ruby, what are you-." Weiss went to ask once she noticed, but she was silenced when Ruby pulled Weiss into a deep, passionate kiss. Weiss was surprised, then melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Ruby. Then, something Weiss did not expect happened: Ruby began to gently push Weiss towards the bed, Weiss falling onto it. Before she could say anything, Ruby was on top of her, sliding Weiss' jacket down and off of her, leaving her arms bare. Ruby kissed Weiss again, slow and burning with passion.

Ruby's hand wandered behind Weiss, and Weiss felt Ruby tug gently on the zip of her dress before she pulled away from the kiss, leaving Weiss breathless.

"Can I keep going?" Ruby asked, nervousness clear in her voice as she stared into Weiss' icy blue eyes. Weiss looked back into those silver eyes, feeling nervous herself.

"Yes," Weiss said, slowly untying Ruby's hood and sliding it off. "Please, don't stop. But we'll have to be quiet, okay?" Ruby nodded as she slowly unzipped Weiss dress as Weiss did the same to her. Ruby leant in for another kiss as they both began to slide the other's dress off.

This time, as moonlight shone through the gaps in the curtains that left the couple in a romantic half-light, no one tried to interrupt them.


	21. Chapter 20

So...hi! I am so sorry that this chapter took a month to write: I've had to start working Saturdays so my writing schedule has been up in the air. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of it, but no promises. But, hopefully this chapter will be worth the wait. As always, leave a review or send me a PM: I reply to almost everyone.

Also, I had a lot of fun being mean to a certain character this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it too.

* * *

Chapter 20:

When Ruby woke up the next morning, she could smell coffee. Ruby hummed as the smell wafted into her nostrils as she breathed deeply, stretching her sore muscles. Memories of last night slowly drifted through her mind, and she felt both embarrassed and emboldened. Had they really done all of those things? It had almost felt like a dream, but the fact she could feel the sheets covering her on her bare skin meant that they had. Ruby had no idea either of them could _do_ that, or how good it felt. It made Ruby feel all tingly just thinking about it.

Ruby decided to finally open her eyes, and she saw Weiss kneeling next to her, holding two steaming mugs of coffee. Weiss was smiling sweetly at her. "Morning, sleepyhead," she said, holding out a mug for Ruby. Ruby sat up, wrapping the sheets around her tightly for modesty, and took the coffee, taking a long sip. Cream and three sugars, just how she liked it.

"Oh, that's heaven," Ruby sighed, as the warmth of the coffee spread through her limbs.

"I thought heaven was last night," Weiss said coyly, and Ruby blushed, but smiled, "I didn't think… _that_ would be so…"

"Amazing?" Ruby offered, grinning a little. Weiss nodded and grinned back, Ruby taking the time to finish her coffee. "You know," Ruby said, I'm kinda glad we finally got there."

"Me too," Weiss said, leaning forward and kissing Ruby on the forehead, "You should probably get dressed: it's already noon."

"What?" Ruby said, twisting to look at her alarm clock. That made it twice now that Weiss had woken up before she had. "Huh, okay. Can you hand me my dress?"

"I don't know," Weiss said, gently taking Ruby's coffee from her, setting them down before climbing on top of Ruby, "Maybe you don't have to get up just yet." Weiss gently kissed Ruby, who grinned as she let Weiss slowly drag the sheet away from her body.

A knocking at the door stopped Weiss from having her way with Ruby. "Really?" she asked as she stared at the door, "Again?"

"It's the universe telling you to stop being greedy," Ruby joked, shoving Weiss off of her so she could get up and get dressed. The door rattled again and Weiss answered the door once Ruby was decent.

"Hey Weiss," it was Yang, craning her neck to see inside the room, "is Ruby up yet?"

"Here," Ruby said, walking up, "What's up?"

"Dad's doing lunch," Yang said, jerking a thumb towards the stairs, "And Winter's back, looking for you." Weiss nodded and left, but when Ruby made to follow her, Yang stopped her.

"What's up?" Ruby asked, confused. Yang gave Ruby a critical look, giving her a once over.

"You and Weiss had sex, didn't you?" Yang asked, very bluntly. "Don't play dumb with me."

Ruby considered lying and acting affronted, but it was Yang. If she couldn't share with her, who could she share with?

"Maybe…" Ruby said evasively, before grinning widely. Yang shared her grin and gave her sister a big hug. Yang draped an arm over Ruby's shoulder and escorted her down the stairs, Ruby still grinning and blushing as they descended the stairs. They got down the stairs to see JNPR, Blake, Winter and Weiss as well as Taiyang all crammed around their table, eating the massive amount of food he'd put on. The sisters sat down near their dad and for the next hour or so, everything bad was forgotten and it was all laughter and good times.

As they ate, Weiss found herself looking at Ruby, watching her smile and those silver eyes light up. Weiss remembered when she first looked at Ruby and realised she was in love with her. She was smiling like this, at something Yang had said, and it was like she transformed in Weiss' eyes and her heart was set aflame with emotion. In this moment, Weiss could see their future together. Travelling the world together, the perfect team of Huntresses. Living in a house like this, one they built together, maybe with a dog like Zwei. Lovers, partners, the truest of best friends. Weiss let her hand drift down and wrap tightly around the box containing the engagement ring she'd bought over a week ago. Weiss stood up and announced she was going to go for a walk. Once she was outside, Weiss pulled out her scroll and sent a message to Ruby, telling her to meet her around the back, without telling anyone.

"Okay, I'm here," Ruby said once she arrived, before Weiss told her to shush and led her to a secluded area behind the barn. "What's going on?" Ruby asked once she was able to talk.

"There's something I want to ask you," Weiss said, "And I wanted to do it away from everyone else."

"Weiss, are you okay?" Ruby asked, a little concerned. The last time Weiss was like this, she was asking Ruby to be her girlfriend.

"I am," Weiss said, "Current situation with my father notwithstanding. But back to what I wanted to ask you."

"Okay," Ruby was seriously lost, but this was clearly very important to Weiss, which meant it was important to her.

Weiss was unsure on how to ask this, so she just decided to see what words formed as she opened her mouth. Weiss gently took Ruby's hands in her own, her delicate fingers rubbing over the calluses on Ruby's palms and fingers.

"Ruby Rose, you are the single most important person in my life. I love you with all of my heart and I never want to be without you. I know this is sudden, and I understand if you don't want to. But I need to know," Weiss pulled out the box and dropped to one knee. Ruby gasped as Weiss opened the box, revealing the silver ring and the ruby set into it. "I'm certain I'm no longer the Schnee heiress, and I don't really have much money for us anymore, but I love you. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," Ruby said instantly, before her brain had fully processed what Weiss had asked. Marriage? Ruby was sure she'd never get married. It was the sort of thing that seemed so far away that she never thought it would ever happen to her. But now, with Weiss and that ring, there was nothing else she wanted more. "Yes, I will marry you, Weiss Schnee." Weiss was frozen with shock at Ruby's sudden answer. It took her a second to get control over her body again and gently slip the ring on to Ruby's finger.

"Perfect fit," Weiss said as she stood, admiring the way the ruby caught the light, "I hoped it was: I did have to guess."

"Weiss," Ruby said, taking her fiancé's face in her hands, "Stop talking and kiss me." Ruby pulled Weiss into a passionate embrace, kissing with raw love and desire in equal measure.

Which lasted for a few seconds until literally everyone fell out from behind a wall, crashing into a pile. Everyone except Winter and Taiyang, who emerged from behind the same wall, looked down at the pile of young people and sighed.

"Really?" Weiss asked, not actually that surprised they had eavesdropped on her and Ruby, "You couldn't give us just a minute of privacy?"

"We got concerned that the two of you might try and run for it," Winter told her, "Keep father guessing if he tracked us down. Suffice to say, I think we're all pleasantly surprised."

"Letmeseeletmeseeletmesee," Yang said, finally getting out of the pile and rushing over to Ruby, grabbing her hand to see the ring before hugging both her and Weiss tightly. Everyone else came over and congratulated them as well, leaving Ruby a grinning mess and Weiss smiling widely as well. Even Taiyang, who had been most critical of Weiss' plan, came up and gave her a hug.

' _So,'_ Weiss thought to herself as everyone took turns to hug and start offering suggestions for wedding planning. _'This is what family is really like.'_

"Well now," a very cold, very angry voice said. Everyone turned slowly to see the white suited, furious face of Jacques Schnee, "Isn't this all so sweet?"

"Father," Weiss said, walking forward in front of everyone. The jig was up, it seemed. "How did you find us?"

"None of you are as clever as you think you are," Jacques said, before wagging his finger at Weiss, "Now you've had your fun. It's time to come home."

"I am going nowhere with you," Weiss said coldly, walking forward to face her father, "I am staying at Beacon, father. And that is final."

"You are coming home!" Jacques snarled, bringing his hand up and, to everyone's shock, brought his hand down and smacking Weiss across the face, sending her reeling. Before Weiss could react, Jacques grabbed Weiss' arm and tried to drag her away. Not the smartest decision when in the company of over a dozen trained Huntsman and Huntresses.

Winter was the first to start moving, but before she even made it halfway, a blur of rose petals zoomed past her. Ruby let out a battle scream as she impacted against Jacques, before somehow turning in mid-air and grabbing Weiss before she fell over. Ruby stood in front of Weiss, silver eyes practically glowing with rage.

"Don't," Ruby snarled, her voice dripping with uncharacteristic malice, "Ever. Touch her again."

Jacques struggled to his feet, world spinning, perfect white suit covered with dirt. "Who are you to strike me?" he spat, hands balled into fists.

"Your future daughter in law," Ruby said, taking distinct pleasure in the confusion and frustration on Jacques face, "And I'm laying down the law. Don't," and now, Ruby's eyes (unbeknownst to her) really _were_ glowing, "Ever come near Weiss again."

Jacques was ready to argue, but Weiss stepped out from behind Ruby and stood next to her fiancé. A glyph, larger and more intricate than any other Weiss had used before, appeared in front of them, spinning furiously. As Jacques attempted to stand his ground, everyone else began to move forward, standing with Weiss and Ruby. Some drawing weapons, all of them glaring at Jacques.

Taiyang put a hand on Weiss' shoulder, giving her a warm and comforting smile before striding forward, face turning hard as he looked at Jacques.

"Sorry, we haven't been properly introduced," he said in a cheerful tone that conflicted with his expression. "I'm Taiyang, Ruby's father. Put it there." Instead of holding his hand out for a friendly handshake, Taiyang threw a punch that sent connected with the smug prick's face and sent Jacques flying backwards, blood pouring from his nose. "I'd tell you how to be a parent, but I have a funny feeling you wouldn't listen. So I'm going to make this easy for you. Get off of my property and if I ever see you again, you'll know how a real father is supposed to behave."

In the first real showing of intelligence since he arrived in Vale, Jacques stood up and put a hand to his face, looking at the blood that stained his gloves and the front of his suit. Then, he turned and left without saying another word. Once he was out of sight, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and Weiss let the glyph disappear. Weiss felt a little tired after doing that, but nothing she couldn't handle.

Ruby collapsed.

* * *

Ruby was only vaguely aware of being carried into the house and laid on a couch. It felt like her head was being split open by a hammer. It was all she could do to keep from screaming. Ruby felt someone squeeze her hand, and she applied the pressure back.

"Here," she heard her dad's voice, and Ruby felt him gently push something into her mouth. Ruby went to spit it out, but Taiyang stopped her. "It's just a painkiller, honey. Yang, where's that glass of water?"

"Right here," Yang said, kneeling down next to Ruby and gently helping her drink the water. Once Ruby swallowed the painkiller, the pain finally began to subside and she could take in her surroundings. Everyone that wasn't her dad, Yang or Weiss was standing back, looking concerned. "Hey, there you are," Yang said, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Ruby groaned, reaching out for Weiss, who took her hand tenderly, "Don't know where that came from."

"That guy…" Yang said, her eyes turning a bright shade of crimson, "I'm going to break his legs."

"Oooh, let me get my hammer," Nora said enthusiastically, making to run off before Ren caught her by the ear and dragged her back.

"Honey," Ren said reproachingly, "We shouldn't do anything rash."

"I agree," Pyrrha said, nodding at Ren, "We should plan for if he comes back. Otherwise he'll catch us off guard again."

"If he comes back," Winter said, looking towards the door and frowning, "We'll be ready. But I do believe we have something to celebrate." Everyone looked around blankly before their eyes all settled on the ring now adorning Ruby's finger.

"So, party?" Nora asked, breaking free of Ren's grip and looking around, "Nobody panic, I'll take care of everything!" With that, Nora rushed out of the house, leaving a trail of dust in her wake. Everyone stared at the door swinging in the wind, until Nora very slowly and very sheepishly walked back inside. "Uh, where's the nearest shop?"

Taiyang laughed and shook his head, grabbing his car keys. "Come on," he said, "I needed to go shopping anyway: you guys eat way too much food. You can come with, put those arms to use." Nora grinned and flexed, causing Ren to shake his head while smiling.

"Mind if I come along?" Jaune asked, "I'd like to see more of Patch."

"Room for one more," Taiyang said to the room, and Yang looked at Ruby, who had Weiss fussing over her now. Yang smiled, but it didn't touch her eyes. Her little sister would be fine without her for now. Yang went along with her father, Jaune and Nora while everyone else stayed behind.

"So, Ruby said, looking at Weiss, "Your dad isn't getting an invitation, is he?" Weiss couldn't help herself; she laughed.

* * *

"So, Ruby's getting married," Taiyang mused to his eldest daughter, "That is going to take some getting used to." Nora and Jaune had wandered off in the shop, leaving Taiyang with a trolley full of goods and Yang holding a bag of decorations.

"Yeah," Yang said, "It's weird to think about, but I'm excited! I hope Weiss is up to planning it all."

"You want to help, don't you?"

"Well," Yang said evasively, not meeting her dad's eyes, "Weiss isn't exactly going to be rolling in lien anymore, so if she wants a hand…"

"I'm sure she'd be grateful if you offered," Taiyang said, looking around the store for Jaune and Nora, spotting them with another trolley.

"It's not my fault I've never been to a wedding between two girls before," Nora was complaining, "It's not like there's a glossary of terms or anything."

"Well, I don't know if they both get maids of honour or not, so stop asking me!" Jaune was irritated, rolling his eyes. "They're not gonna get married until Ruby turns sixteen anyway."

"Probably a while after that," Taiyang said as they joined up, "Weddings take a lot of planning, so don't be surprised if it doesn't happen for a while."

Nora looked a bit sad about that, then brightened up and looked at Yang. "Hey, once we get back to Beacon, why don't we throw a big engagement party? Invite everyone we know?"

"Maybe once the craziness dies down," Yang said, "But yeah, that sounds like an awesome idea."

"You know what would be really cool," Jaune said casually, "If the wedding was held at Beacon." Everyone stopped and stared at Jaune, who looked very confused. "What? Not a good idea?"

"No, it's a great idea," Yang said, "It's just…"

"You're the one who thought of it." Nora finished Yang's sentence.

"Hey, I come up with great ideas all the time," Jaune said defensively, "I planned their first date, didn't I?"

Taiyang smiled as he watched the young huntsman argue with the huntresses. It reminded him of when STRQ was still together. How he'd argue with Raven and Summer when they wanted to humiliate him and Qrow. Back before it all got…complicated, when he started dating Raven.

Ruby and Weiss could make it work, though. Taiyang had faith they could avoid the mistakes he had made.

* * *

Ruby was laying on her bed, admiring her ring. Marriage, huh? If someone had told Ruby over three months ago that she would getting married to Weiss, Ruby would have laughed in their face. Now though, even amidst all of this insanity, there was nothing that she wanted more.

"Hey," Ruby looked up and saw Weiss standing in the doorway, smiling at her. "How are you feeling?"

"My head still hurts a little," Ruby told her, smiling back, "What's up?"

"Dad's back with Yang, Nora and Jaune," Weiss said, "Nora wanted to throw the party today, but I managed to talk her out of it so you could rest."

"Thanks," Ruby said, "I don't know if I could handle a party tonight. Maybe we could wait until your citizenship thing comes in? Have a double celebration?"

"That would be a good idea," Weiss said, sitting next to Ruby and wrapping an arm around her. Ruby laid her head on Weiss' shoulder. "So, today was a bit intense, huh?"

"Yeah," Ruby said, a little sleepily, "I was kinda hoping you and Winter were exaggerating what giant asshole your dad was, though."

"So did I," Weiss said, before searching for a different subject. Almost out of nowhere, Weiss remembered the piece of paper she doodled on, back when she and Ruby had just gotten together. "Not to start being pushy," Weiss said, "But what do you think about being Ruby Schnee?"

Ruby frowned as she thought about it through her headache. "I dunno," she answered, "Do I have to change my name?"

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," Weiss said, "But traditionally you're supposed to…I think."

"Let's make that decision another day," Ruby said, drifting off to sleep and snoring slightly. Weiss shook her head and gently put Ruby to bed, drawing the covers up to chin.

"Pleasant dreams, my love," Weiss said, going to leave so Ruby could sleep peacefully. Everything was going to be fine. It had to be.


End file.
